My Partner, My Friend
by AmyNChan
Summary: For Ladybug, life is pretty normal. Fight the akuma, joke with your partner, go to school. Piece of cake. But when a big person makes an impossible request that sets her partner on edge, what is a poor little Ladybug to do?
1. Prologue

_**AmyNChan: Okay, so now I have three multichapters going on at once…**_

 _ **Tikki: You're going to overwork yourself…**_

 _ **AmyNChan: I'll be okay. 'Cause I'm on vacation! XD**_

 _ **Tikki: *sighs***_

 _ **AmyNChan: Anyhoot, I don't own ML~! *^_^***_

"Miraculous Cure!" Ladybug shouted as she flung the item of the day into the sky. She watched the huge stick explode into a plethora of colors, widening its hold on the city until all the damage from the battle had become undone. The Eiffel Tower gained that quarter of its mass back, the streets looked good as new, and that little girl on the side of the road had her lollipop returned to her in one piece.

"What…happened?" the lawyer asked, genuinely confused as he sat at the base of the tower. Chat Noir and Ladybug grinned at each other while holding up their fists.

"Mission Accomplished!" they chorused as they had so many times before. They bumped their hands in a playful gesture before she heard the warning blips in her ears.

"Ah, that's my cue to leave," she said. She sent a smirk over in her partner's direction as she prepared to zip off on her yo-yo. "Take care of that bruise, silly kitty. That looked painful."

"Could it be that my Lady is worried about me?" Chat grinned, his eyebrows doing their own little dance at the thought. Ladybug laughed her partner's whimsical words off before taking to the sky. She could never tell if that boy was serious or not when it came to his affection, but it helped her to think that he wasn't.

The wind was slightly nippy against her face as she raced back home. Her parents did not know she had disappeared from under their noses yet again and she would have liked to keep it that way. She landed atop her balcony just as her transformation became undone and 'Ladybug' was replaced by the typical high school girl that was Marinette.

"That poor lawyer must have felt so horrible," Tikki said as they opened the skylight. Marinette dropped onto her bed as she gave the topic a bit of thought, just as she did with every akuma victim.

"To lose a case when you know the person you're fighting for is innocent is hard," the girl agreed as she pulled out a sugar cookie from her secret stash. "But putting other people in danger over it is not the right thing to do. I hope more evidence is found to release the innocent person."

Tikki sighed in agreement as she took the cookie with a word of thanks. It was not often that they ran into an akuma whose actions were fueled by an injustice they could do nothing about, but it was their job to bring the victims back to their sanity and cleanse the akuma within them. Marinette knew she enjoyed helping to right things afterwards when she could, but there was nothing she could do about it this time. She flopped hopelessly onto her bed, groaning at the guilt she felt over a situation she could not help.

"Marinette!" her mother called from below. The girl jumped to attention. Her mother only sounded like that when—

"I'M GOING TO BE LATE!" she cried as she finally took in the time displayed on her clock. Lunch break ended in ten minutes and it was a fifteen minute walk to the school. She rushed down the stairs and hurried through the door, pausing only to give her mother and father kisses on the cheek. She ran for all her worth all the way back to the building of her education.

For eleven minutes.

"Miss Dupein-Cheng, how nice of you to join us," Madame Bustier said with a thin-lipped smile. The young girl considered herself lucky to only be a minute late as she apologized and headed to her seat. It was no surprise to her that Alya proceeded to pepper her with silent questions, wondering why she would come into the classroom late and if she had perhaps seen the epic battle that Ladybug and Chat Noir had just finished.

"Later," the girl whispered to her oblivious friend. Of _course_ she had been there during the battle, but there was no way for Alya to ever know that. The explanation of why she was late would have to be chalked up to simple forgetfulness on her part yet again. That always seemed to work.

Madame Bustier shot a look Marinette's way and the girl eeped her way into submission. Akuma she could handle. Chat Noir and his flirting she could handle. Alya and her questioning she could handle.

Detention she could not.

She sighed as she took out her notebook. It was time to take notes. Or draw new designs. Or doodle the back of Adrien's head.

Who knew with today? It was, after all, just the norm.

 _ **AmyNChan: Okay, so that's a bit of a prologue! Chapter one to come tomorrow! *^_^***_

 _ **Marinette: Please don't forget to review!**_

 _ **AmyNChan: hehe, and also please check out Snavej's stories. They're incredibly entertaining. *plays with a laser***_


	2. Meeting

_**AmyNChan: Lol, the not-so-long awaited chapter one has arrived!**_

 _ **Marinette: This story is going to be mainly from my point of view, so we'll see how well Amy goes with that.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: ehe. It'll be fun, I think. *^_^***_

 _ **Marinette: *chuckles* Amy doesn't own Miraculous Ladybug!**_

"Dude, I thought you'd be happier with your dad finally taking an interest in your life," Nino said. Marinette did not mean to overhear, but whenever the bubble-blowing boy and his best friend—her massive crush!—were in the vicinity, her ears might as well have belonged to a cat with how good her hearing became.

Chat Noir would never let her live it down if he ever caught wind of that little analogy.

"It's not that he's worried about my safety, per say. He's just worried it could interfere with his business at best or my duties as his model at worst. Trust me, this kind of thing isn't really something he's doing because he's worried about my health and safety," Adrien replied. Marinette felt her chest constrict at the tone of his voice. Passively resigned to his fate as his father's tool. She knew how badly he wanted recognition from the man only because she took pride in knowing just about everything about Adrien. However, this bit of information was useless when she could do nothing to help the boy aside from listen—somewhat sneakily—to his troubles.

"Girl, you have _got_ to quit doing that," Alya said, bringing Marinette from the conversation she had been listening to.

 _Ignorance is bliss, ignorance is bliss! Maybe she didn't see anything!_

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," the half-Chinese girl chuckled awkwardly. The back of her head had a sudden itch that she absolutely _had_ to scratch. It really was quite itchy!

When Alya rose an eyebrow at one of the girl's nervous twitches, Marinette knew she had been caught red-handed. After all, her best friend was just as close to the boys as she was and had probably already heard everything that she had. As soon as she acknowledged the truth, her head stopped itching and she felt herself slump forward in a sigh. "I'm just worried. Adrien really wants his father to notice him, but when he does it's more like he sees himself as his father's tool. I want him to see that he's worth so much more than that…"

"Girl," Alya said. Marinette giggled a bit at her friend's tone, but still felt an ache in her chest for the boy of her dreams. "Why don't you talk to him? Tell him what you think?"

"Yeah, like that'll go over well," Marinette groaned as she only imagined how she would sound in attempting to speak to Adrien about how she felt about him, even if it was not in a completely romantic sense.

"Oohh.. ack… um…"

The girls looked at each other for a moment before Alya burst into giggles and Marinette sent a playful scowl in her friend's direction. She could not believe they had just done that in synchronization.

"You've practiced that," she accused.

"I have not," Alya gasped, feigning a mortal would over her chest. "How could I possibly be practicing my best friend's predictability when I've been too busy with the Ladyblog? Speaking of which, yesterday afternoon…"

Marinette chuckled at how easily her friend could be sidetracked. If only such a task were so easy for herself…

* * *

"Are you still thinking about Adrien?"

Marinette chuckled guiltily as her friend brought her out of thought for the third time that evening. She had been attempting to do Physics homework when thoughts of his somber tone had drifted through her mind once more. She had no idea he could sound so _sad_ …

"Yeah," she admitted. "He just seemed so…resigned. He's such a kind person, Tikki. He doesn't use his job or financial status to make anyone feel bad, he defends anyone in the class from bullies like Chloe, he's a polite person, and have you even seen the way he smiles? It's so cute…"

She could feel herself slipping into admiring the several pictures of him scattered about her room. Each one held a spot in her heart simply because it was _Adrien_ in those pictures. Smiling, posing, there was even a picture of him running and jumping. That had to be one of her favorite. He just seemed so _happy_ in motion…

She released an extremely unladylike groan as she slumped over her desk, burying her head into her arms. "I can't do anything to help him, Tikki…"

"Well, what do you think he needs help with, Marinette?" the kwami asked, her eyes wide in open honesty. Marinette stopped. She had been worrying all day over him, but she had no idea what the problem was or even if it were as bad as she were assuming. Of course, when it came to Adrien's father, things were very personal and it was not her place to intrude anyways. She heaved a sigh.

"I don't know, Tikki. I just want him to be happy… he was so sad today when he was talking to Nino."

A moment of contemplative silence was shared between the two friends, each tackling the issue from their own viewpoint. For Marinette, the problem was complex and riddled with mystery. How could she make it better for Adrien? Did she have the right? Should she stay out of it—given that it was not her conversation to hear anyways—or do something small to say she was there for him? She still could not say a word around him without stuttering terribly, so how was she going to make him happy again?

Again: did she even have the right?

"Maybe this is something you'll need to sleep on," Tikki advised gently. "An answer will come to you sooner or later."

"But, Tikki, what if I shouldn't even do anything about this? Adrien didn't talk to me about it, he was talking to Nino. I'm not even sure if we're friends," the young girl said, voicing one of her biggest concerns to her trusted companion. "I don't think he wanted anyone else to know he was having a rough time with his father."

"Marinette," the kwami smiled. "Whether you do or don't do anything is up to you. But if you do something, I'm sure you'll know the right thing to do. After all, you're a problem solver."

Although her small friend had lost her with the last statement, a warm feeling began to bloom in the girl's chest. A feeling of comfort, of strength. The problem Adrien was facing was surely not going to go away by her worrying endlessly and not actually _doing_ anything about it. She needed a plan and she needed to put it into action if she actually wanted to help.

"Thanks, Tikki," she said, feeling lighter after their conversation and her silent revelation. Then another thought struck her. "If I'm such a great problem-solver, does that mean Physics will get any easier for me?"

"I don't think it works that way, Marinette."

A loud groan could be heard through the window and out into the cold night, along with the tinkling of small fairy-like laughter.

* * *

"Mission accomplished!" Ladybug and Chat Noir cheered as they bumped their fists. The akuma, a young girl who had bottled up everything instead of talking out her problems in a healthy manner, was rested on her heels with a confused expression. Taking this akuma down had not required her Lucky Charm—what a shock!—or the use of Chat's Cataclysm. Ladybug supposed it was because they had caught this particular akuma early on and was able to swipe the infected item with ease before she had been able to get the hang of her new powers.

"Where am I?" the girl asked, rubbing her head. "I was at home…"

"Everything's fine," Ladybug assured her with a smile. She reached her hand out to the young girl and helped her off the ground. "We're at the Theatre de la Ville right now, but Chat or I could help you get back home."

"R-really?" the girl asked, looking between the two superheroes. Though the excitement was not lost on the two, Ladybug could tell that the attention to her safety was doing good for her. She nodded at the question, which seemed to increase her flustered behavior. "Y-you would do that f-for me?"

"Yup!" Chat Noir stated with his feline smirk. "It would cat-solutely be our purr-easure!"

Laybug groaned while the girl giggled at her partner's lame puns. Not just one bad pun, but two. Two distinctly horrible puns thrust into a single sentence. What had she ever done to deserve such treatment?

"Actually, my employer has already made arrangements for the safe return of mademoiselle Bouregaurde to her home," a new voice stated from a slight distance away. Slightly surprised, Ladybug turned to see a young woman in formal business attire, her reddish black hair in an updo and her red-rimmed glasses framing a carefully schooled face of impassiveness. She could feel her partner tense slightly beside her, though she knew not why. There was no danger here. This woman was obviously not an akuma.

Still, better to be safe than sorry.

"We appreciate the offer, but it's no trouble for us to take her home," Ladybug said. She had a chance to help this young girl outside of saving her from the akuma possession and she wanted to take it. "It really—"

"My employer wishes to speak with you and knows your busy schedules," the woman interrupted. Ladybug frowned at this, but merely waited for her to finish. "He has asked that you meet with him as swiftly as possible as he feels it is quite an urgent matter."

The hero grit her teeth. Just who on earth did this employer think he was? They had a duty of care towards the people of—

"Is that a limousine?" the young girl asked, eyes wide as she took note of the car behind the strange woman. After a clipped nod from the woman of business, the recently freed victim gasped. "And…I can ride in it?" Another clipped nod.

"Ladybug, it's fine if you want to go meet up with this guy. He sounds kind of important," the girl said swiftly, beaming at the chance to ride in a limousine. The hero felt her heart fall. This was not getting rid of the problems she had been facing; this was covering them up with glitz and glamour to achieve some other goal.

"Are you sure? Chat and I really don't mind taking you home. You're every bit as important," Ladybug insisted. She cared for the girl's wellbeing, but when she saw her gaze flicker between the heroes and the impressive car, she knew the girl's mind had been set. She let this one go with an extremely reluctant sigh.

"Thank you for taking care of me, but I'll be all right," the girl attempted to assure them both. She beamed up at them and it hurt Ladybug to watch her go. She offered a small prayer that the girl would be all right when she returned home and she turned to the woman who had so rudely interrupted the chance she had to make sure the girl was really okay.

"It looks like we're free right now. Is your employer too busy to see us?" Ladybug asked, the hard frown still on her face and a frosty nip intruding on her tone.

"Not at all," the businesswoman stated as she turned away. Obviously, she was accustomed to the cold.

Ladybug and Chat Noir easily caught up and matched pace with the woman and it was then that Ladybug noticed something she could not believe she had so blatantly missed before. Chat seemed stiff. Remained robotic. On-edge since he had heard the woman's voice.

 _Why?_ she wondered. An akuma would have attacked already, but she knew she would be a fool to dismiss his stance. He had a knack for telling when trouble was coming and it was possible the danger had not yet passed if he had not gotten over the sudden appearance of this woman. As such, she took his lead for once and kept an eye out for anything suspicious while attempting to gather a few more answers.

"So, madame…?"

"Sancoeur."

 _What an odd name…_ "So, madame Sancoeur. What does your employer want with us? It seems a bit excessive to ride a limousine when it looks like you could have just walked."

The businesswoman—madame Sancoeur—did not break her stride at all. She kept a visage of strict apathy as she answered. "The limousine was for mademoiselle Bouregaurde's benefit and not my own. If such transport were truly necessary, we would have brought the other limousine as well."

"I see."

She did not. Who was rich enough to own two limousines and desperate enough to orchestrate this meeting on such short notice? She glanced over to Chat to see if he had any ideas when they stopped in front of a building.

The straight posture and unnaturally focused look in his eye confused her. He was looking right in front of them as if he were facing down a particularly dangerous akuma. As if he were glaring at the face of a dangerous threat.

"Chat—"

"Monsieur Agreste is a busy man and wishes to take as little time as possible with this meeting. I'm certain you can appreciate the need for haste considering your level of recognition within the city," madame Sancoeur stated, drawing Ladybug's—

Wait.

Ladybug blinked.

She turned her attention back towards the woman who was walking into a building that suddenly seemed _extremely_ familiar. Her breath hitched in her throat and she simply knew her eyes had widened in the face of where they had been led to.

The Argeste mansion was just as large as she remembered it from the last time they had been there. Although the disaster of a birthday party was a few months ago now, it seemed as though very little time had passed in accordance to the architecture and overall neatness of the house. Ladybug walked inside after madame Sancoeur and forced herself to breathe. There would be nothing good coming out of Ladybug dissolving into a fit of fangirling.

Breathe. In and out. In and out.

"Monsieur Agreste. Ladybug and Chat Noir are here," madame Sancoeur stated in that same clipped tone. Ladybug blinked again. How did she not notice going through the entire Agreste mansion? Straight to the door of _the_ Gabriel Agreste's office? Agh, she was slipping!

"Send them in," the famed designer stated from the other side of the door. Without any sort of introduction aside from that which had already been given, the assistant opened the entrance and gestured the two inside. They complied quietly.

"Ladybug. Chat Noir," the man stated from the other side of a regal looking desk. His hands were folded in a professional manner atop a closed notebook and there was no room for foolhardiness on his long face. His glasses barely covered his extraordinarily cold blue eyes and his graying blonde hair was slicked back professionally.

She seemed to remember a slightly warmer expression on his face from the competition.

"Monsieur Agreste." _Remember to breathe, Ladybug. Remember that you are Ladybug right now, Ladybug. Remember you're kind of mad at him for taking away a chance to help, Ladybug._ "We appreciate the assistance with returning mademoiselle Bouregaurde home, but you must understand that it is imperative that we speak to the victims after they return to normal in order to ensure their health. We care about every civilian of Paris, even those who have been victimized."

The man said nothing for a few moments and the Marinette inside Ladybug could not believe she had just lightly scolded him. Was she out of her mind? She waited nervously for a response, glancing at Chat to give her strength.

She should not have glanced.

"There is a person who has been repeatedly injured during your fights with these 'victimized' persons who is very important to what I do," the man said, his voice crisp and clear. "I have taken steps to assure this person's safety, yet every countermeasure I have put in place has failed. The best bodyguards money can buy and the most elaborate surveillance I can spare has been put forward to ascertain this person's safety, yet he always arrives to work with yet another injury. They have caused him to be stiff, inflexible, and the quality of his work is deteriorating."

"And you're certain these injuries are the result of akuma attacks?" Ladybug asked. She wished she could take back such an obvious question. Of course that's what he thought.

"Why else would I call you two in?"

She knew it.

"With all due respect, monsieur, what is it that you believe Chat Noir and I can do about your situation?" she asked. "With the Lucky Charm, damage to inanimate objects and lethal threats caused by the akuma are reversed and taken away, allowing everyone to go home safely. However, bruises, soreness from the aftermath of the injury, and small cuts are not always taken care of. It's miraculous that the healing energy works as efficiently as it does, yet it cannot undo every bit of harm done."

She had hoped Chat would take note of the opening for a pun she had left him. She had left it wide open for him. Practically begging to be noted upon by the superhero, by her partner, by her friend.

No such thing happened.

Chat Noir remained quiet. Gabriel Agreste remained tense and impassive. Ladybug remained a high-strung mess. Madame Sancoeur remained on the side, holding a file in her hands. When had she gotten that?

"It appears as though this person is a fan of your adventures and heroics," Gabriel stated. Before Ladybug could say anything else madame Sancoeur came forward with the file and passed it into Ladybug's hands. The superhero rose an eyebrow and glanced at the businessman, who only gestured her to open it and view the contents within.

The file was labeled as "Adrien Agreste's internet history". She fought the urge to both squeal and bite the man's head off for speaking of his son as only a model. He was so much more!

"From his internet history, we have been able to tell that he spends an extraordinary amount of time on the _Ladyblog_ , a web site dedicated to the two of you and wild, half-baked rumors as to what or who the two of you really are."

"You couldn't have just asked him if he liked us or not? Maybe he's on the website all the time because he knows someone that runs it," Ladybug said, the words flying out of her mouth before she could stop them. She could not _believe_ how bitter she sounded, but what kind of parent goes through their child's internet history before even asking them what was going on? What kind of parent only sees their child as an employee rather than their flesh and blood?

"I am a busy man and could not conduct the investigation of his injuries myself, "—Ladybug impressed herself by strangling the cry of outrage in her throat. What kind of parent is too busy to care for their own child when they were hurt!?—"but the fact remains that he has eluded every bodyguard I have hired for him. Addionally, whenever an akuma is on the loose he returns to their care with more injuries than he left them with. You two are next on the list of potential bodyguards for Adrien."

Bodyguards. For Adrien. Protecting the boy of her dreams!

But what about Adrien? What did he think of all this? Would he even want someone as clumsy as Marinette protecting him?

 _Ladybug,_ she reminded herself. _You are Ladybug. Protector of_ _all_ _of Paris. Adrien, akuma victims, classmates, family, friends, and enemies alike._

As much as it killed her to admit to herself, she could not play favorites in matters like this in good conscience.

And believe her. It really did kill her to admit that.

"We can't do that, monsieur," Ladybug said, forcing herself to look directly at Gabriel. The folder remained closed in her lap. "Matters aside in the fact that both Chat and I have lives outside of our superhero personas that would not allow an extra bodyguard job, we cannot place the safety of one citizen over the other. We strive to take care of _everyone_ that we can, playing no partiality toward one or the other."

She felt herself wince as she said it. She knew that if she ever saw Adrien in danger, she would rush to him no questions asked. Not because Gabriel had asked it of her, but because he was precious to her. But there was no way she would ever tell that to the man who had not even bothered to check on the safety of his own son himself. That thought alone made her nearly boil with rage.

"Is there no price I can set that would sway you on that decision?"

"None."

"And you, Chat? Do you feel the same?"

"Yes, monsieur."

Ladybug nearly choked on her own spit as she looked over at her partner. He looked the same as when she had glanced over a few moments ago. His catlike eyes were downcast in silent submission, his shoulders tense and his posture extremely formal. While his hands were not folded politely behind his back, they might as well have been.

She had never seen her wild partner look so submissive before. It honestly scared her.

"I see," the man stated. When Ladybug tore her gaze away from her partner to return monsieur Agreste's, she found the gaze to be cold, hard, and calculating. Definitely different from the competition. "Then let me offer a compromise and take no more of your time. Should you happen to find Adrien at any of your encounters, please remove him from the premises. He is quite important and I'm certain I can find something to make the trouble worth your while."

Ladybug fell silent at this. Gabriel Agreste was attempting to _bribe_ Paris's most famous heroes into the protection of his son. While it might seem as something a parent with power might do—the mayor, for example, would have probably done this had Chloé demanded it often enough—it did not sit right with her. Most likely because he was not doing it from the position of a concerned parent, but of a calculating businessman.

Yet the possibility of seeing Adrien on the battlefield and leaving him to defend himself for a few moments—even as she and Chat continued to take down the akuma, purify it, and set everything right again—could not leave her be. It was too unpleasant.

Her insides twisted uncomfortably at this impossible situation. She, as Ladybug, could not agree to the protection of one citizen over another. She, as Marinette, would never allow a friend to endure pain when there was something she could do about it.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, her egos clashed with each other horribly. More than one compromise was necessary, she feared.

"Understand our position when we say we cannot place one life in Paris above the other, regardless of their status or position in life," she began carefully, emphasizing every word as she passed the unopened folder back to madame Sancoeur. "If Adrien is found on-site and we have the ability to help him or remove him from a dangerous situation, make no mistake that we will do everything in our power to do so. Also understand that this is not because of your position, power, or plea, but because he is a citizen of Paris who does not deserve to be terrorized by akuma."

Monsieur Agreste fell silent at her words. She hoped he was taking them to heart and would not ask her to repeat herself. She had no idea if she could. Pretty soon, her Marinette would show through.

That was something that could not happen. Not now, not ever.

"That…" he said at long last. "…is fair. I will continue my own efforts to keep Adrien out of danger, but I am also depending on the two of you to care for his health. He cannot afford continue to sustain these injuries as they will take time to heal and I cannot have my best model stiff from an easily preventable cause."

Ladybug resisted the urge to splutter. Her face grew red in outrage. How cruel—

"Nathalie will see you to the door."

One half of Paris's superhero team left the Agreste mansion with colorful words of dislike directed at a certain Gabriel Agreste. The other left with a sigh on his breath and exhaustion in his wake.

 _ **AmyNChan: Okay, just letting you know that updates will not usually come this quickly, but this is a story I will finish and I certainly hope you all enjoy it~! *^_^***_

 _ **Chat Noir: Please read and review~nya!**_

 _ **AmyNChan: awwwww…**_


	3. Confrontation

_**AmyNChan: Okay, so I know I left a while without a chapter, but I had to rewrite one of the sections and I'm still not even sure if this is all that great, but here's what I got as far as a chapter goes. XD**_

 _ **Tikki: Amy doesn't own Miraculous Ladybug!**_

 _ **AmyNChan: Nope!**_

"Who does that—I can't believe how—just—"

Ladybug continued to splutter in anger now that she was outside the mansion alongside her partner. Madame Sancoeur had forsaken them at the gate five minutes ago and the young girl had very nearly gotten all of the mixed feelings flushed from her system. She huffed out once more and this time it seemed as though the tactic to manage her anger was beginning to work in the slightest degree. She frowned at the street, kicking a pebble now that she was beginning to calm and not up to grumbling any more.

She was still angry at that horrible man, though.

"Are you okay, My Lady?"

Ladybug turned to her partner, who had been waiting out her little temper tantrum. Her cheeks flushed and she felt as though she had been caught red-handed stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. Ladybug was calm and collected at most all times, the only exception being when Chat used a particularly horrible pun. And even then, the superhero only groaned in frustration or jokingly bantered back.

She had never thrown a fit as Ladybug before and it was some sort of cruel irony that Chat was the one unfortunate enough to witness it. It must have been his bad luck.

"I will be," she answered carefully. She had to put her metaphorical Ladybug mask back on. There was nothing that she could do about the callousness of Adrien's father, but there were other matters she could attend to. Other matters that were just as important to Ladybug as Adrien was to Marinette. "Are you?"

"My Lady?" Chat asked. His green eyes widened in curiosity. She chuckled in a sad way.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice how tense you were in there, silly kitty?" she asked. "You didn't pun, you didn't move, you didn't do anything. Even when talking to the mayor—the most influential person in this town—you're so at ease. Playful to a fault sometimes. But with _him_ , you acted so uptight. Like you were scared of him."

She watched as Chat's ears wavered atop his head. It looked to her as though he were deliberately restraining them from flattening to his messy golden locks. His shoulders were in a forced—and completely fake—state of relaxation. There was a pinch at the bridge of his eyebrows that pressed faint wrinkles into his normally clear and lighthearted forehead. This was absolutely not normal Chat behavior and it worried her.

"I'm fine, My Lady," he said. That grin did not belong on his face at any time, Ladybug decided. It was entirely too fake. "Can't we just forget that ever happened?"

"We can't do that," Ladybug sighed. Chat looked as though he were about to protest that yes we can, Ladybug, so she continued. "We can't directly place Adrien above everybody else, but monsieur Agreste seems to think that he's around for a majority of the akuma attacks. Enough to get hurt often, at least. We should at least keep him in mind when we're fighting. Who knows, maybe he's seeing something we're not."

"I don't think so," Chat said. His certainty made Ladybug's head turn.

"Why not? The kind of bruises and soreness monsieur Agreste talked about usually only happen when someone's been really hurt during the battle before my Miracle Cure. If that's the case, he's been pretty close the whole time. Having a civilian's perspective might help us figure out if HawkMoth has more of a pattern than we thought."

"T-then why don't we ask that blogging girl? Alya? We don't have to get Adrien involved at all," Chat asked. Ladybug blinked. Did Chat just _stutter_?

"She's as into the battle as we are sometimes, maybe a bit more," Ladybug answered slowly. Why was Chat acting so weird? "Adrien isn't. He's a normal civilian whose life is getting impacted more than the others when it comes to the attacks. We can at least give him a chance to help end all of this. See if he's noticed anything that could help us find HawkMoth and put a stop to more akuma being created."

"You don't even know if he can help us," Chat protested.

"You don't know if he can't," Ladybug countered. The tension had not yet left Chat and there was still a distinct lack of punning. Never had she thought she would be uncomfortable by a distinct lack of punning from her partner. "Chat, you're not usually the realistic one around here, that's my job. Are you sure you're okay?"

She honestly paid no attention to the word that came out of his mouth. Because if he said either yes or no, the look in his eyes told her an answer all on their own. He was not okay, but nor was he going to tell her what was wrong.

All she could do was worry.

* * *

"…and then I swore off bubble-blowing baboons for the rest of my life as I flung myself into the dormant volcano," Alya finished.

Marinette nodded. Alya had said sometime earlier that bubble blowing baboons had a habit of worshipping dormant volcanoes, so…

"Wait, what?!" Marinette asked. Her tone was mirrored by her face, her eyebrows screwed in confusion and her jaw slightly slack. She was used to tuning out strange stories from Alya, but this was something so utterly ridiculous that she could not believe—

"Girl, you didn't hear a word I said," the dark-skinned girl tisked, an amused grin on her face.

Oh.

She was teasing her again.

"Sorry, Alya. I was just distracted," Marinette admitted. Under the scrutiny of her best friend, she let out a nervous chuckle. Why did it feel as though the girl could look into her very soul and draw out every deep, dark, and precious secret she could ever hope to guard for the rest of her life? Marinette fidgeted in her seat as she did her best to be more attentive this time. "What were you saying?"

Alya released an exasperated sigh even though both girls knew she was not truly mad at her. If the blogging girl were really mad, she would fold her arms and walk out of the room regardless of the consequences such an act would have. This had literally only happened three times in the many years of their friendship. Each time was worse than the last.

"Max has an academic decathlon coming up tomorrow," Alya restated. "Did you finish the banner?"

"I thought that was in two days?" Marinette asked, mind now in a panic. "I haven't even started! I need to get the fabrics together and the glitter glue and I haven't even started on design ideas and how big do you think it should be, Alya? I mean, I don't want to distract him while he's thinking, I just want it to be a support banner but I don't want him to think that I didn't care to put enough thought into it. Alya, what am I going to do?"

Marinette let herself fall dramatically into her best friend's shoulder. Which, as she now realized, was shaking from the giggles of her friend.

"Alya…"

"Sorry, girl. Can't help it," the girl chuckled. "You're so adorable when you're panicking."

Marinette had two choices. Sit straight up and pretend to be offended by the heinous statement or remain exactly where she was in her gloom.

"You're lucky your shoulders so comfy," Marinette grumbled. Alya shrugged.

"It's a gift."

"What's a gift?" a voice asked from in front of them. Marinette and Alya turned to see Nino and Adrien sitting in front of them, the former being the owner of the new voice.

"Comfy shoulders."

"They don't look so comfy to me."

"Just for that, you don't get to find out if they are or not."

As Nino and Alya continued their banter—Marinette could not tell if Nino were having as much fun as Alya, but the girl was obviously enjoying their bickering—Marinette turned to the other newcomer. Adrien, wonderful and kind and perfect Adrien, had dark circles under his eyes.

Of course, these circles were hidden expertly by makeup. It was well-done makeup, too. Marinette had only noticed the trend yesterday when a small bit had smudged onto his paper. She did not think he noticed it as they switched assignments to grade. Yet he was wearing even more makeup today and seemed to be exhausted.

Should she point it out? Should she ask if he were feeling okay? The makeup was obviously to hide the fact that he was not, but could she honestly sit by and—

 _He's looking at me!_ she realized. How long had he been looking at her observe his eyes?

"Uh—"

 _Think of something, think of something! Say anything!_

"Your eyes are green."

 _Fantastic, Marinette. Bravo. Now he thinks you're even weirder._

"Uh, thanks?" Adrien said. The look of confusion he sent her was the most honest thing she had seen in the past few days. It had been small smiles that never felt genuine ever since the last akuma attack, honestly. It made her sigh out a breath of relief.

"Y-you're welcome…"

She was never going to get anywhere with this. She would have groaned if it were not for her best friend elbowing her in the ribs at that very moment. While it appeared she was animatedly debating with Nino, she knew that the girl was also offering her support—and a quite literal push—in her own conversation with Adrien.

 _Come on, Marinette. Be brave…_

"A-Adrien?" she squeaked. The boy turned his attention back to her and it took everything she had not to lose her will to speak at all. But oh, what to say, what to say? She really had not thought this through at all.

"Max h-has an academic decathlon and…well…I-I was wondering if you, Nino, and Alya would w-want to come to my h-house to help w-with the b-banner," she finally said, her invitation sounding more like a high-pitched squeak towards the end rather than a normal human being talking. She was sure her face was red by now and she was absolute one hundred percent sure she was going to die and did she really just ask him to come to her house of all places and why—

"Okay."

Adriensaywhat? Marinette blinked.

"Yeah, man. That sounds like fun!" Nino added. Marinette turned towards him. How was this—

"What time do you think we should meet up?" Alya added on, obviously pushing the conversation forward. Still, Marinette's mind was on too much of a fritz to be anything other than purely responsive.

"Uh, t-today right after school should be fine…right?" she asked. She glanced at the faces around her for approval. Alya had a smug grin— _please wipe that off your face right now!_ —Nino was nodding, and Adrien was checking on his phone.

"I have a shoot at seven thirty, but it looks like I'm clear until then," he announced. His smile was a little less forced and that somehow set Marinette at ease. A little bit.

"G-great!"

* * *

 _Squish!_

"I am Sailor-V!"

Marinette could not have told you what the akuma shouted next, she only knew that she had been jumping out of the way of an oncoming projectile. By the time she was able to tell her up from her down once more, she heard another voice that was most certainly not the new villain.

"Dudes, you've got to run!" Nino yelled from her right. Quickly, Marinette turned towards her friend and her expression paled in the face of what she saw.

"Nino!" Adrien yelled, instantly rushing off towards their classmate. The one who was currently in the grasp of a very large octopus. The young model grabbed a nearby broken branch and proceeded to hit the octopus across its rather large face. While reckless, the tactic worked and the aspiring DJ was dropped immediately. Alya was, of course, recording the whole thing.

"Alya, we've got to move!" Marinette shouted once she realized what her friend was doing. "This isn't time to be taking video!"

"Girl, this is live feed!"

"So?"

"So if Ladybug and Chat Noir see it, they can know there's a problem and get here faster! You know, Marinette, you're usually more—!"

"Alya!" the blue haired girl shrieked as another octopus flew in their direction. On instinct, she shoved her friend out of the way and just barely managed to duck out of its trajectory herself. She rolled backwards and was on her feet within a span of seconds, another octopus blocking her from her friends and trapping her against a building. Luckily for her, she was trapped against a door that could very easily be opened and entered from where she was.

"Marinette!" her friend cried. "I can't get to you!"

"Get yourselves to the bakery!" the girl ordered. "I'm going through the building and down the back alleyways! I'll meet you guys there!"

"Mari—!"

The young woman did not hear another word. She turned into the building she had been trapped against and opened the door, rushing into the structure as quickly as she could and slamming the door behind her. The octopus squished uselessly against the glass and Marinette took the chance to run through the sparsely populated lobby. It was one of the apartment buildings that was adjacent to her own home and the persons who were in the building already seemed to be evacuating to the basement. Marinette ducked and weaved through the panicked mob and escaped through the back door before opening her purse.

"Do you think Alya will really go to the bakery with an akuma attack happening?" Tikki asked as she flew out.

"She wouldn't if she were by herself, but I think having Nino and Adrien with her will get her there anyways. For their sake more than hers," Marinette responded just as quickly. "But I can't let myself get distracted by that right now. We've got to find this akuma and stop it before it causes anymore damage!"

"Right!"

"Tikki, spots on!"

The transformation was a normal thing for Marinette by now. As Ladybug's outfit replaced her casual wear, she could feel herself fill with confidence and an athletic prowess that she would have never been able to achieve on her own. As the mask flit over her eyes, she knew that she would be safe—relatively speaking—during the attack. It was her duty to protect Paris and its inhabitants from the dangers of these akuma and that gave her all the drive she needed to get the job done.

"C'est la vie for Sailor-V!" the possessed man shouted. Ladybug used her yo-yo to ascend to the top of the building in order to get a better view. She dodged the octopus projectiles—three of them—along the way, but was able to make it to the top of the building in record time. What met her gaze was something she was not expecting.

A ship—a giant ship that looked to come out of the ending of Disney's Peter Pan—traversed the sky in all of its glory. The octopi were being fired from cannons in random locations, each slippery sea creature disrupting the peaceful day everywhere. Citizens were scattering like ants and the man atop the frigate stood in a naval outfit, embellished with several patches of color that appeared to be fake medals. None of them glinted in the sunlight, so they could not have been metal. There was no way any of those faux patches could be the possessed item. Possessed items were usually treasured and cared for.

"A little far from the ocean, aren't you?" Ladybug called out, garnering the attention of the villain. Apparently, her words were the wrong ones to shout, as he swiveled every cannon on his ship to face her.

"That's the point!" he screamed as the cannons fired. Using the agility that only came with being Ladybug, she ducked and swerved out of the line of fire. Octopi scattered around her, a few even opening up their tentacles to cover a greater surface area. One of the tentacles brushed her suit, but she was able to escape it with no chance of being dragged down.

Once the first wave had gone by, Ladybug took a chance on the fact that he would have to somehow 'reload' his cannon fodder. This slip of time was exactly what she needed as she leapt into the air and cast her yo-yo forward. The device went as far as she needed and then some as it hooked around the railing of the ship. Her momentum carried her through the air and would have landed her straight onto the ship had the possessed man not run straight towards her yoyo and directly unlatched it himself.

With the tension lost and her yoyo not completely retracted—it would take a few seconds for that to happen at the length it was right now—Ladybug was free falling with almost no chance of making it to the ground without becoming a Lady-pancake.

Oh, Chat would absolutely _love_ to be in her head right now. Speaking of which…

"I always knew my Lady would fall for me one day," the silly kitty said as he caught her, his grin as eager and upbeat as always. Seeing that look on his face—especially after they had parted the way they had last week—brought a slight bit of comfort to her mind.

But only a slight bit.

"You're late," she stated. It was a very obvious fact and probably should have made him feel at least a little guilty, but his grin remained intact. She frowned at the lack of change in his expression.

"I'm actually not, and I'm sea-rtainly glad for that," he replied. Ladybug groaned as she shimmied back down to solid ground.

"Never mind. We've got to find out where the akuma is and quick," Ladybug said. She turned back to the villain—Sailor-V—to find him urgently petting the railing where her yoyo had been only moments before. It was a slip of time free from octopi where they could devise a plan.

"So that means you haven't figured it out yet?" Chat asked. Ladybug shook her head. "Don't worry, My Lady. I'll distract Sailor-Boy until you figure it out."

"It's Sailor-V!" the possessed man yelled. Cannons began to swivel on Chat's location and Ladybug knew it was time to split. Chat ducked to the left while she took the right and the octopus shots followed her feline friend. She backed away from the battle in order to watch and strategize.

She watched as Chat kept leaping in between buildings, ducking under the ship on occasion to avoid the octopi onslaught. There was one point where he almost hit his head on the ship, but the collision was avoided by Sailor-V jerking the transport even further into the air, momentarily forgetting the octopi cannons. Chat seemed to find this amusing and kept jumping higher and higher to try and touch the ship. Sailor-V continued to flee his lighthearted attacks.

It suddenly made sense.

"But how…?" she wondered aloud as she gripped onto her yoyo. "It's so big…"

Yet she knew her observation to be correct. With a solid lock-on to what the akuma was possessing, she threw her yoyo into the air.

"Lucky Charm!"

For once, the item was straightforward enough. Now she simply needed to know where to place the darn thing. She glanced at her surroundings, slightly intrigued as always to see everything fade out to grey except for that which she would need. A nearby balcony became alight with red and black, Chat himself fritzed into color, the ship in the air blinked at her, and the springboard in her hands became a sharp contrast before her surroundings once more faded into their natural colors.

"That's it!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Chat! Come this way!"

"Right, My Lady!" he exclaimed. She knew he was only a step behind her as she hurried to a balcony that now seemed very familiar.

 _What a time to be unlucky…_ she mourned before shaking herself of the thought. Her balcony was closest to the ship, so it was logical to place the springboard here. She slammed it on the ground and faced it towards the menacing ship. As she expected, it was following Chat at a bit of a distance.

"You get one shot at this. Use your cataclysm on the ship," she ordered. He nodded before giving his cry of 'cataclysm'. She could tell he was planning as he looked the ship over and backed up across the small space from the springboard for a bit of a running start.

"Anywhere in particular, My Lady?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Just touch it anywhere and be ready to catch," she said. His eyes flashed with confusion, but he seemed to trust her on this. He ran forward and threw all of his weight onto the springboard, pushing off on it and catapulting himself into the air. She only took a moment to watch his black-bubbling hand raise and latch onto the ship when she followed suit, using the momentum gained by jumping from the springboard to grab it and cast it to the ground far below. It was sturdy and quite possibly magical material and would survive the fall damage.

From her new vantage point in the air, she watched as the ship began to rot and break apart. As she expected, Sailor-V quickly fell from his point in the sky with no stable ship to hold him up. Chat caught him easily and brought him to the ground while Ladybug cast her gaze for the akuma. She spotted the purple butterfly attempting to make an escape from the debris and quickly opened her yoyo.

"You tried doing harm, little akuma."

 _This is going to be a bit harder from the air…_ she thought, but she paid the new level of difficulty no heed. She built the momentum in her yoyo as she would have on the ground.

"I free you from evil!" she shouted as she thrust the device forward. Miraculously, the yoyo was stable as it captured the flittering akuma from the middle of the air. Two moments later, she made a safe landing on the ground with a bit of a tuck and roll. "Gotcha…"

With a smile, she pulled herself to her feet and opened the yoyo's top, waving goodbye to the pretty butterfly as it fluttered away in pure white beauty. The next thing on her agenda was to pick up the polka-dotted springboard and heft it into the air, allowing it to work its magic with a loud and confident "Miraculous Ladybug!"

"Where…am I?" the once akumatized man asked, looking at his surroundings. By his side was a scale model of a ship—the same kind he had been riding around in a few moments earlier. Ladybug was about to help him up when another man arrived on scene.

"Jaques!" the man cried out. The newly dubbed Jaques looked at the man and flinched, obviously expecting some form of punishment. The older man instead dropped to the ground and embraced the freed victim in a hug. "I'm so sorry, son. It was wrong of me to try and force the family business on you. I just always wanted to connect and I thought this was the way. I shouldn't have tried to keep you from your dreams."

Obviously touched, Jaques' eyes brimmed with unshed tears. He embraced the older man. "Thank you, father."

Ladybug smiled at the scene. There was no need to intervene. These two would be fine now that some sort of understanding was reached. She looked to her partner, who was wearing a grin that screamed of smug accomplishment and mischievous happiness. It was a grin she felt she could appreciate as she lifted her fist to meet his.

"Mission accomplished."

Her earrings beeped and she knew her time was short, but there was something she wanted to speak to Chat Noir about before they had to leave. His ring beeped only a moment later and she realized he might have to be on the other side of town in order to not be missed too terribly much by the people who surrounded his civilian self.

"Chat, you have a minute or so?"

"For you, My Lady, I have all the time in the world," he grinned. Ladybug shook her head but led on regardless. This was not a conversation for civilian ears. She led him to the top of the apartment complex next to her own and did not wait for him to be comfortable before starting.

"Remember when monsieur Agreste told us to keep an eye out for Adrien last week? That he'd been getting regularly hurt because of the akuma attacks?"

The instant the Agreste name was mentioned, Chat froze. Ladybug noticed and frowned, but decided to wait for his answer anyway. It came out as a slow and almost painful "yeah."

"I think I know why that is."

 _ **AmyNChan: Okay, so there is one thing I want to say right here: the idea for Sailor-V is not mine. My bubba came in and came up with such a random akuma idea that I simply**_ _ **had**_ _ **to jot it down. XD**_

 _ **Marinette: it was an odd one, all right…**_

 _ **AmyNChan: Yeah. His catch phrase was supposed to be "C'est la Vie for Sailor-V!", but the dude only ended up saying it once. XD**_

 _ **Marinette: What a shame.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: In any event, I hope you guys enjoyed this! Please let me know what you think in the reviews~! *^_^***_


	4. Meeting the Agreste Boy

_**AmyNChan: ehe.. I'm late. Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger. New chapter to make up for it? XD**_

 _ **Tikki: Amy-chan doesn't own Miraculous Ladybug!**_

" _Remember when monsieur Agreste told us to keep an eye out for Adrien last week? That he'd been getting regularly hurt because of the akuma attacks?"_

" _Yeah…"_

" _I think I know why that is."_

* * *

She thought back to her interactions with Adrien Agreste as she made the claim. How could she have not noticed sooner than this? How could she seriously have been so blind? When she thought back to the type of person Adrien was, this answer seemed so _obvious_.

"O-oh? Why do you think?" Chat asked. Ladybug, somewhat preoccupied by her new discovery, did not comment on the stutter. She decided she would probably tackle that problem at another time.

"Adrien Agreste is almost nothing like his father. The only thing they really seem to have in common are a set of really good genetics and a last name," Ladybug explained. Seeing the confusion on her partner's face, she continued her line of thought. "You met monsieur Agreste. He's cold, business-oriented, and doesn't seem to particularly care about people one way or the other until he needs them. Just from the look on his secretary's face, it looks like she hasn't slept properly in a long while."

"You can't know that for sure," Chat said. His defensive tone caused Ladybug to frown. She knew more about the man than Chat probably did, her having looked up to and respected the man for so long, so why was he acting this way? She shook the thought away and decided to continue her thought.

"The point is that Adrien's not like that at all. Even before monsieur Agreste spoke to us I knew of his son and the kind of person he is. He's a kind person with many friends and a warm personality. While I was on my way here, he was rescuing someone from one of the octopi despite the fact that he's a civilian. I couldn't help at the time, but by the time I was able to, they were all running for safety."

Ladybug watched as Chat absorbed this information. He seemed very confused, so she decided to elaborate just the tiniest bit.

"Adrien is the sort of person who will help out a friend or someone in need rather than leave them alone when he knows it's something he can help with. Add to that the fact that a fair few of the attacks seem to take place at his school, it's likely that he gets caught up attempting to help someone else get away from the attacks, only to get hurt along the way," she explained. She thought of how he had slammed the octopus away with a stick in order to save Nino. "It makes so much sense now…"

She allowed herself to bask in this new information for a moment. She finally had an answer as to _why_ Adrien was getting hurt during the attacks. The question was if she could do anything about it. She supported his heroism one hundred percent, but she also wanted him to be safe for personal (and admittedly selfish) reasons.

"My Lady, I get the feeling you wouldn't have wanted to talk about this so close to detransforming if you didn't have some sort of plan in mind," Chat said, bringing her out of her thoughts. She was about to nod when she noticed Chat's ring. It was down to a single paw.

How long had he been letting her swim in her thoughts?

"We're going to the Agreste's next week to talk to Adrien. Tuesday at three," she announced. "And you're getting over your fear of them."

"F-fear? What!?"

"Don't worry, Chat. I think you'll find Adrien _much_ easier to talk to than his father."

"B-but My Lady—!"

But Ladybug would have none of Chat's rebuttals. She took out her yoyo and hooked onto the adjacent building. She gave a smirk before hopping down from her own balcony and sliding into the apartment building's door. She ducked off to the side of the door so no one could see her when her transformation suddenly released. Tikki let out an exhausted sigh as Marinette caught her in midair.

"Hold on, Tikki," Marinette muttered, reaching into her purse. She winced. The cookie she had brought as Tikki's afternoon snack had been crushed to bits sometime during their escape. Relatively large bits, but bits nonetheless. She took out the largest chunk and offered it to her kwami friend. "I'll make you a fresh batch tonight, okay?"

"Thank you," the small sprite smiled. Her gaze became curious as she continued. "You really think Chat Noir is afraid of the Agrestes?"

Marinette shrugged. "How else can we explain why he's so freaked out at the thought of even _being_ there? You definitely saw how he looked when I even brought it up. Maybe if he knows that not all of the Agrestes are such oppressive people, it could help him a little bit…"

Tikki silently ate the largest bit of cookie.

* * *

"Shouldn't we put one of those squigglies here?" Nino asked, pointing to the corner of the banner. "It's math related, right?"

"We already did a math related one in his name," Alya disagreed, pointing to the 'x' in 'Max'. They had all agreed it would be the variable 'x', something Max would catch onto quickly. "Why don't we do something relating to history?"

"I'm not sure if they're even going to have a history round," Adrien said. His voice was so mild, Marinette noticed. Not the kind of mild like when he was having fun, but almost subdued? Forced? She could not figure it out, which worried her a little bit.

"W-what if we put down something related to physics?" Marinette asked. When Adrien looked at her, her cheeks flushed to a reddish hue. Yet she valiantly persisted. "Like something falling off a c-cliff?"

 _I was so close to one whole sentence!_

"That makes sense," Adrien said.

"It does?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, with gravity and everything. Weren't you paying attention during lecture? We went over it today in class."

"I was, but the huge octopus kind of made me forget everything I learned in class today," Nino admitted with a grin. Marinette groaned quietly.

"That wasn't funny. You could have gotten seriously hurt," she admonished quietly before looking to Alya and Adrien. "You two, too. Alya, I get that Ladybug and Chat Noir need to know what's going on, but do you think they'd feel good about it at all if you got injured trying to get the info to them?"

"Girl, you know I'm careful," her best friend promised. "Besides, if not me, then it's some other person who's probably too scared to hold the camera straight. Then Ladybug and Chat Noir wouldn't be able to tell where the akuma is as quickly and that would spell trouble for everyone."

"I know, I know, but I worry about you. You could get really hurt pulling those stunts," she reiterated before turning back to Adrien. The accursed crimson flooded her face again, but she took a deep breath to prepare herself. She would not stutter while saying something so important. She would _not_ stutter. "Same for you. When Nino was caught by the octopus, you ran in to save him without a second thought. As amazing as it is that you went to save your best friend, you're not Chat Noir. You're not indestructible. I'm glad you weren't hurt this time, but please take care. As your f-friend, I worry about you, too."

 _I did it!_

"But… if I wasn't going to save Nino, who was? Chat Noir and Ladybug were probably fighting the akuma by then," Adrien said. While Marinette knew that was not true, she could not divulge that information. Ladybug, after all, could not be in two places at once unless there was another incident in regard to time itself.

"Dude, the worst that could have happened to me was a few bruises. They would have healed up in a few days. Besides, people have been turned to mummies before and been fine, remember?" Nino intervened. Everyone turned to the DJ with curiosity shining in their eyes. His own brown orbs reflected a distinct sense of mischief and stubbornness. "Besides, it's not every day someone gets tackled by an octopus! That one's going in the school radio station for sure!"

The room was quiet for a moment before Alya began to giggle. This cracked the tension in the room and even Adrien smiled—genuinely and truly—despite his worried countenance when Nino had begun. Marinette sighed in slight relief, however…

"The last thing I need is to worry about _another_ friend putting themselves in danger during an akuma attack. You keep safe too, okay, Nino?"

"I don't know… If we keep this up we might actually be a ragtag group of civilian heroes. Maybe more like sidekicks, but, dude, that would be so sweet!"

" _Nino!_ "

* * *

The week flew by for a certain ladybug-themed heroine. Max's decathlon had ended without any akuma attacks, everyone involved having been incredibly good sports about the event and ready to challenge each other in their off time outside of official competition. A project had been assigned and Marinette had—astonishingly—completed it in a matter of two days alongside her super best friend Alya. The bakery always kept her busy, but she had also managed to find enough time to try a new recipe of cookies for Tikki to try.

"I'm not picky, Marinette," Tikki would say with a smile whenever her friend tried something new for her. "Just anything with sugar will help me."

"I know, but you're such a good friend, I want to make you something you'll absolutely love," the schoolgirl would state in return. Tikki, ever understanding, would smile and nod with a word of thanks while Marinette baked on for her.

But now it was Tuesday, the time being precisely three o'clock. She was waiting in front of the Agreste mansion as Ladybug for Chat to arrive. Thankfully, it appeared as though no one had noticed her in front so she could wait a few moments long—

"Ladybug," madame Sancoeur's voice resonated from behind. She had clearly held that thought far too soon.

"Madame Sancoeur," she returned. She had intended to give Chat a few more minutes to arrive and force his leather-clad butt into the mansion, but it appeared as though her luck had turned on her for once. Perhaps his fear of the Agrestes was larger than she initially thought? Perhaps they actually did make him that uncomfortable? Why, though? The two superheroes would need to sit down and have a nice and long heart-to-heart over the situation. Later. "I'm here to speak to Adrien Agreste about the events that have been happening."

"Very well."

With that, the secretary turned on her heel and led her back into the mansion. Keeping true to her Ladybug persona, the young girl followed and desperately pushed back the squeal of excitement. Now that she was not taken by surprise at the fact of actually being inside Adrien Agreste's home, she could appreciate—not fawn over like a silly fangirl—the mansion in and of itself. The area she walked through was large and spacious, each inch seemingly draped in a cool and professional white. Black designs scattered throughout the mansion that were at once stylish and tasteful, not once straying from the fashion designer persona that Gabriel Agreste had built for himself.

Ladybug felt herself frown at that man. While it was true that Gabriel Agreste was her personal role model for what she wanted to do with her life as a career, he was a horrible father with a personality that made her toes curl in frustration. Despite this, she thought begrudgingly, he certainly knew how to decorate a home. It looked almost as though it were ready to be sold right then and there.

That thought struck something in her. No house should look as though it were ready for the market unless it actually was. Where was the evidence of it being lived in? She glanced around. Each wall appeared blemish-free and the marble floors had nary a nick. Suddenly, the black-and-white world she had been so excited to delve into seemed cold, foreboding, and unwelcoming.

Perhaps Chat was right to exercise some caution around this place. Not the amount he had been exercising, of course, but a small amount.

"…typically has a very busy schedule. As it stands, he is free for one half an hour before he has a shoot. I suggest your conversation with him be brief," madame Sancoeur finished. Ladybug—or rather, the Marinette inside Ladybug—found that she had not been listening. Still, with the cool head of a superhero, she nodded her head to show she understood. One half an hour to talk to Adrien Agreste. Piece of cake.

She could only tell this to herself as madame Sancoeur knocked on the door. She could only repeat it as she heard some shuffling on the other side of said door. She could only cling to it and refuse to let a blush show when the young model himself opened the door, eyes automatically flicking to madame Sancoeur before catching her own. He opened his mouth.

"Ladybug has requested to see you. I will make preparations for the December shoot," the secretary stated before he could get a word in. His eyes snapped towards the woman and Ladybug watched as his face was instantly schooled into the same thing she had seen at school. Polite and almost perfect.

Only it was not as perfect as she had once thought it was. He was sad for some reason. Did he not want to see her?

 _Well, given that his dad is trying to force my protection on him while he's obviously just trying to help his friends…_ Ladybug thought to herself. The thought in and of itself was smothering enough.

"Thank you, Nathalie," he said. To Ladybug's surprise, the woman nodded and turned on her heel to leave, just as clipped as she had been at the front gate. It was quite possible that she left in order to make those arrangements that she had spoken of earlier. Ladybug turned towards Adrien, almost forcefully shoving down the Marinette in her that wanted to blush at the fact that she was right in front of Adrien Agreste and oh my gosh, was he inviting her into his room?

"Do you want to come in?"

Her heart. Just. Died.

Still, like the cool and calm superhero she was, she merely nodded and followed his gesturing hand into the room. Her eyes widened when she saw the explosion of color—at least more than the rest of the house—within the bedroom. An orange wall, a red arcade game, blue and purple made their appearance in the way of rock climbing walls and a few posters. His room was positively _alive_ with color.

It was so different from the cold of the rest of the house. Much more inviting and warm.

 _Chat would definitely feel more at ease in here…_ she thought. While it was true she was in the room of her long time crush and it was almost too much for her senses to take, she was also thinking about her partner and his rather strange behavior. A frown flit over her face.

"M—uh… Ladybug?" Adrien asked. She turned her attention back to the boy of her literal dreams and held back a gasp. Why was he so perfect? Oh, why, why, why? Okay, Ladybug. Breathe. In, out. In, out. "You… uh… needed to talk to m-me?"

"A-are you intimidated?" she blurted. "By…uh…me being here? In your room?"

 _Stop talking right now. You're Ladybug right now. La-dy-bug! Ladybug doesn't stammer._

"N-no!" Adrien said. His green eyes were widened and his hands were in front of him as if to frantically wave the idea away. She blinked. He was… nervous? Really? She watched as he seemed to notice his anxiety was showing and put his hands behind his back. Still, he could not keep them there as he fidgeted and continued to speak. "I-I mean, I'm a little surprised is all. I didn't expect… I mean I don't know what… Um… w-what can I help you with?"

Seeing him so nervous put Ladybug back in charge. Perhaps it was because Marinette was surprised he could get just as flustered as she, perhaps it was because nothing would be accomplished if the both of them were stuttering messes, she did not know. Whatever the reason, the girl in the mask was able to smile with reassurance and speak without hesitation.

"There are a couple of things I'd actually like to talk to you about, Adrien. If you have the time, of course," she said. Before she could congratulate herself on not tripping over her own tongue, the boy was already answering.

"S-sure! Would you like to sit down? I-I have a couch?" he said, the last bit sounding like a question than an actual suggestion. Ladybug giggled at his nervousness—seriously, it was _great_ that she was not the only one who got this nervous—before deciding it would be better to make him as comfortable as possible. She let him lead the way.

She took another glance around his room, the colors absolutely screaming joyfully in her face. It was not bad at all, but rather reassuring. She smiled when she saw the sheer amount of books on the second floor. All of them were a myriad of different hues. The skateboarding ramp was also alive in its own way.

 _Chat would probably love it in here…_

The white couch faced away from the room and out towards the waning day. She did not mind this at all. In fact, she could watch out for her partner from here. Was it such a far-flung hope to think that he was just running a bit late?

"So…" Adrien started. Ladybug turned her attention towards him. She silently scolded herself. She had half an hour and there was no time to waste. She had already drained half of her time with him simply by coaching herself on being Ladybug and not Marinette at the moment. She could not continue to ogle Adrien and his room (no matter how desperately she wanted to do either) and nor could she sit around to wait for Chat (no matter how much she wanted to scold him when he came).

"I apologize for coming on such short notice, but like I said earlier there were a few things I wanted to discuss with you," Ladybug said. Adrien nodded, but did not say a thing. She took that as her cue to continue. "I'll be brief with the first: you've been getting hurt during the attacks."

"Is this because—"

"No, I'm not here talking to you about this because of your father," she said, waving the notion off almost impatiently with her hand. While it had been monsieur Agreste who brought the severity of the injuries to light, she was not here in this room on his behalf. "Or because you're a model or anything like that. I have a friend who is very worried about you and they've asked me to talk to you about this."

"A friend…?" Adrien asked, his eyes wide as he looked her over for a moment. Ladybug kept her lips sealed. It was risky enough telling him this much—even though the friend was only herself outside of the mask. Instead, she nodded. Adrien looked at his lap, eyebrows furrowed in a puzzling manner. "A friend…"

"A friend," she affirmed. "You have friends who can't bear to see you hurt. Do them a favor and please take care in the future. Think before you act, okay?"

Even though she had said the same thing to him as herself naught but a week ago, the boy did not argue this time around. He had folded his hands loosely before him and still had that puzzling expression on his face. She gave him the time he needed to absorb her request—he would never know how selfish such a request was—and glanced outside of the window. Where was Chat? If he arrived any later than this, there would be no point in his showing up at all. She was going to have words with that cat.

She turned her attention back towards the Agreste boy when he sighed at long last.

"I can't promise that I won't get hurt," he admitted slowly, obviously choosing his words with great care. Something in Ladybug—even as her superhero persona—stung to see him tiptoeing around her in such a fashion. As if making such a promise, even to assure one of the heroes of Paris, was something he simply could not do. "But I can promise that I'll be a bit more careful."

Ladybug felt her shoulders sag. Relief, resignation, and a touch of trepidation all fell upon her like a feather light blanket, wrapping her in its embrace. His response was not perfect, nor was it exactly what she wanted, but it was something she would have to make do with for now.

"I guess that's the best I can get from you," she replied. When Adrien chuckled, she knew it was the truth. She would be getting no more from the Agreste boy in reference to his own health and safety. She took a deep breath as she prepared to switch topics. "The second thing I want to talk to you about absolutely cannot leave this room."

"O-of course," Adrien said. He was sitting straight up and looking deep into her eyes and no, Marinette, you absolutely _cannot_ get lost in those beautiful green eyes of his!

Green eyes that seemed so reminiscent of another that it brought her back on track just as quickly as she had gotten off. She inhaled sharply.

"Have you ever encountered Chat Noir?" she asked, unsure how else to break into this particular conversation. There was no way she could ask madame Sancoeur or monsieur Agreste, but Adrien was approachable. Maybe he knew the answer.

"I—um… Why?" Adrien returned. She glanced out of the window again, searching for her partner in case he happened upon this conversation. Fortunately for her, her good luck seemed to be preventing her partner from arriving at the worst possible time.

"I'll tell you a little bit about him," she volunteered, deciding not to look at Adrien. It would be far easier for her to speak freely this way. "Chat is, above all, my partner. He's a shameless flirt when he wants to be and has the worst puns to ever exist always at the ready. He's overconfident and impulsive to boot."

Every word she said was the truth. He was all those things, but he was also so much more. She allowed a small smile as she continued to speak.

"But that's not all there is to him. He fights well, he's extremely dependable, and I know that he's not lied to me. He's really compassionate towards Paris and I know for a fact that he's a good person who has a bit more patience than most people give him credit for."

Ladybug tried not to shudder at the thought of Chloe. How on earth did Chat manage to babysit her while she left during the Evillustrator fiasco? It had to have been some form of miraculous patience that she did not possess because she had seen that he was just as impressed with her attitude as she had been. Seriously, props to Chat for putting up with her.

Ladybug pulled herself back into the moment, reminding herself that there was a time crunch and there was a reason she had just told her crush all about her partner-in-stopping-crime.

"Why are you telling me this…?" Adrien asked. It was slow, inquisitive, almost cautious in asking. Ladybug offered him what little of a smile she could spare through her worry.

"Because I want to ask for your help," she said. "Chat won't tell me anything on it, but—"

"Adrien, we have to get ready for the shoot now," Nathalie informed from the doorway. For the record, Ladybug did not jump from surprise. She shifted in her seat to gain a better understanding of the situation. Suddenly. Exactly at the moment madame Sancoeur had opened the door. Obviously.

She did not jump.

"I'll be right there, Nathalie," Adrien said. Ladybug frowned and was about to say something—maybe apologize for holding him up, maybe ask if he knew anything about Chat's sudden behavior—when he beat her to the punch. "Ladybug, about Chat Noir… if he won't say anything, wouldn't it be better to leave it alone?"

Ladybug's eyes widened. How could he say something like that? He, who was a kind soul, should have been able to understand where she was coming from. Still, as madame Sancoeur continued to urge Adrien out, she could only give him one response.

"I can't just leave it alone. Chat Noir isn't himself right now and I won't stop until I can find some way to make it better for him."

 _ **AmyNChan: Okay, one random thing I wanted to say.**_

 _ **Marinette: What's that?**_

 _ **AmyNChan: The squiggly that Nino spoke of was an integration sign. I imagine Max being smart enough to deal with Calculus. XD**_

 _ **Marinette: That… has nothing to do with the story.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: I know. XD I just wanted to say it. It's a fun tidbit!**_

 _ **Marinette: You're as insufferable as Chat sometimes…**_

 _ **AmyNChan: I try. XD In any event, please read and review and tell me what you think~! *^_^***_


	5. Some Solutions

_**AmyNChan: I am so not the fastest with updates, but I hope this is good enough for the wait you had to endure~! *^_^***_

 _ **Marinette: She doesn't own Miraculous Ladybug!**_

 _ **AmyNChan: lol, no I do not. XD**_

"I don't know what to do…" Marinette groaned, placing her sketchbook down beside her as she sat on her favorite steps before the Eiffel Tower. Inside were several pages of empty white paper, the fruits of her labor for the past four hours. Her creativity was stumped for the moment and she had the feeling there would be no new designs until she tackled the problem she was facing.

She rested her head against the palm of her remaining hand, frowning.

"About Chat?" Tikki asked. Her head was peeking adorably out of her chosen's handbag. If anyone happened to see the kwami, they had both decided it would be better to insist she was simply Marinette's most prized stuffed toy, a symbol of good luck that she carried everywhere. This way, the sprite could see the sights of Paris without having to fear too much at getting caught. Marinette sighed.

"That silly kitty is going to be the death of me. Adrien wouldn't tell _Ladybug_ anything, even though I know he follows the blog and is apparently a huge fan of her because of monsieur Agreste…" Marinette frowned then let out another long breath. The Eiffel Tower loomed before her, but not in an opposing manner. Instead, it stood tall and able to tackle any problem that went its way. Unlike Marinette herself. She huffed again. "I think it's obvious that something connects Chat and the Agrestes and I'm pretty sure even Adrien knows what it is… but I just don't know what… or how I can even help. I hate seeing him so… like this… Gosh, Tikki, he's just so…unChat-like…"

Marinette let the unimpressive and far too vague statement hang in the air for a moment before a group of friends climbed the steps she was sitting on. The small crowd was filled with people all a bit older than her, but they seemed to be having a good time. They joked and shoved at each other playfully as they passed, giving the girl herself a somewhat more lighthearted feeling despite the frustrations in her own life. It was nice to see friends just hanging out on the streets of Paris.

It was nice to see some friends be able to enjoy the blessing of a good day when it came along.

"Marinette, maybe we should just wait for Chat Noir to talk to you about it himself," Tikki said. The girl turned towards her friend, a protest already tumbling past her lips.

"But what if he never talks to me about it? Remember that time with the copycat? He didn't talk to me then until it was almost too late and there were two of them and I had to tell them apart by the fact that his miraculous was wearing out. What if he just tries to bury it under puns and fighting akumas and flirting and—"

"Marinette," Tikki said. While her tone was not necessarily a snap, it was more of a stern commanding of attention. The young girl was quick to give it to her kwami, who gazed upon her firmly. "Chat Noir is your partner. Remember that during the copycat incident he contacted you to make sure you knew he was innocent. If something bothers him too much, he will talk to you. Pushing him on it will only make things worse. It could even stop him from talking to you about anything important that could happen to him in the future."

"But—"

"No buts," Tikki insisted. When Marinette frowned, the kwami's expression softened slightly, a small smile offered to make the girl feel better. "I've seen more than five thousand years go by. This kind of situation has happened a few times before. Please trust me when I say that pushing on this won't make things any better for you or your Chat."

Marinette looked at the face of her dear friend. She knew the small figure was filled and practically overflowing with kindness and all of the right intentions. She also knew that what Tikki was asking of her was quite a lot for her troubled heart.

"I'm worried," she sighed.

"I know." Tikki's voice was a calming sound that she really needed right now. But…

"Are you sure I can't do anything, Tikki?" Marinette asked. "It really is killing me to see him like this…"

"Do you trust Chat?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Then you're doing all you can for now," Tikki said. Marinette looked into kind blue eyes, ones that were filled with hope and an understanding that the girl felt grateful for seeing. "Trust him to make the right decisions for himself and be there for him as his partner when he decides to let you in."

Marinette sighed. This was not the answer she wanted, not even close. She wanted to help him as quickly as possible and waiting around was something she was not keen on doing. But for her partner, for Chat Noir, she knew it was the right call to make. She finally nodded in agreement with her friend and practical guide.

"I'll try…" she allowed. This would be a tough compromise for her, but she would certainly try. Her partner deserved that much, at least. Her eyes flickered over to the sketchbook she had placed aside and she moved to pick it up. Ideas were coming to her once more. "Hey, since spring is on its way, maybe I should start designing some dresses. What do you think?"

"I think whatever you make is going to be very fashionable and cute," Tikki said, encouragement riddled through her tone and a peaceful smile on her face.

Marinette spent the better part of the next two hours designing and redesigning dresses and attire for spring. By the end of her time before the great Eiffel Tower, she had managed to imagine two springtime dresses and two complete outfits.

Tikki was kind enough not to mention the small drawing of a cat in the left corner on the green outfit with black highlights.

* * *

" _Every failure takes you one step further from your goal."_

" _I know."_

" _At this rate, I won't have enough energy to complete the task even with the others."_

" _I know."_

" _She will be—"_

" _I know."_

 _Cold fury seeps through the room. Both pay no heed to it. This is important._

" _You need to hurry up."_

" _How long?"_

" _One month."_

 _A jaw clenches shut. Eyes harden in anger. A plan is being devised._

 _A window opens._

* * *

"…and make sure to meet up with your partner over the weekend for your project," the teacher reminded the class as they all stood. Marinette glanced over to Alya, who only gave a shrug of her shoulders. 'Maybe next time' was clearly written in her body language. The blue haired girl chuckled. Sure, she might not have gotten Adrien as a partner for her project, but that was fine by her this time. She needed to be able to concentrate the small amount of time she _would_ be able to meet up with Mylene. While she was sure she could get a bit of a leave from her bakery duties on account of homework, her superhero life took precedence over all.

"What do you think you'll do your project on, Alya?" Marinette asked, packing her notebook away. The blogger slash reporter extraordinaire pretended to give pause enough to 'think' about the question that had been posed to her. Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Ladybug," Alya announced with a grin. Marinette chuckled. Her friend was certainly…enthusiastic.

"Nice try, Alya," Nino said from his seat in front of them. He turned around with a faux glare of reprimanding. Not that Alya would have paid it much heed, of course. Her best friend was sometimes stubborn. "We're supposed to do our project on the French Revolution. I'm pretty sure Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't there."

"They might have been," Alya said, sticking out her tongue at her partner. Marinette laughed at their antics. It was all playful fun for the two of them.

"Okay you two. I'm going to meet up with Mylene before I go home," she announced. She waved a brief farewell to her friends, a somewhat more shy nod for Adrien—who was already heading in Kim's direction—and walked over to the girl with colorful dreadlocks. She was already placing supplies into her bag in quite a hurry. "Mylene…?"

"Hey, Marinette," the stout girl smiled as she placed the last binder into her bag. "My dad has another show today, do you think we can meet up later to get started on the project?"

 _So_ _that's_ _her hurry…_ Marinette thought with a smile. "It's no problem. You still have my phone number from when I fixed his hat?"

"Yup!" Mylene chirped happily. She paused for a moment before turning to Marinette fully, guilt on her features. "So… you really don't mind waiting until after the show to start working on the project? I'd bring along if you wanted, but I don't think there are any extra seats…"

Marinette could only smile. Her classmate was worrying far too much over something that was so easily understandable. "Just text me when the show's over and we'll take it from there, okay?"

"Marinette, you're the best!" Mylene cried happily. With a brief hug, the girl practically flew to the door of the classroom, hurrying towards a show that was probably about to start quite soon. Marinette giggled easily.

"She sure seems happy," a voice said from beside her. Marinette could not help the jump that came out of her. He had just appeared out of nowhere!

"A-Adrien…" she greeted. He turned that smile of his to her and she felt her cheeks flush. What had he been talking about? What did he say? Oh! "Y-yeah… dad mime—I mean, her dad's a mime and perform—uh, they're—well, I mean he's performing and see him—wait, I mean she went to see him perform."

Could the ground do her a favor and swallow her whole? She had done fine talking to him that afternoon two weeks ago in her house. She took a breath, hoping it would help her gather some luck in order to speak clearly.

"That's cool," Adrien said. She had no clue if his continued talking to her was due to his patience or his good humor, but she would _not_ look a gift horse in the mouth.

"What about you?" she asked. _No stuttering at all!_ "I thought you were working with Kim?"

"We promised to get started a bit later," he explained. Before Marinette could nod in understanding—and probably give herself whiplash in the process, what fun!—he continued. "And I had a question for you, if you don't mind talking a little bit."

A question for her? Was he going to ask her on a date? Was he going to ask her about how weird she was? What if he asked her on a date and then decided he did not want to because she was weird? What if he asked her about—oh no, he didn't find out about the scarf, did he? If he asked about that, she would not be able to hide it from him! But he was so happy with the scarf because he thought it was from his father, what if he—

What if he asked her about Ladybug? Shock infiltrated her very bloodstream, halting her in her tracks. What if he put two and two together? Adrien was a very smart boy—excelled in Physics, piano, Chinese, and every other learning subject he put his mind to. What if he suspected?

What if—

"W-What kind of question?" she choked out. She knew her emotions had to be flying across her face—she would be no good in a game of poker, for sure—but it was all she could do to stay there and at least attempt to shove any suspicion off of herself. She tried not to be so stiff as Adrien exhaled, looking around.

 _Is he trying to figure out how to word it? Maybe he's thinking that there's no way Marinette could be Ladybug… I could be so lucky here!_

"Well, I noticed that you're really good with people, so I was hoping I could ask you for some advice."

Adriensaywhatnow?

"Advice?" she echoed. When Adrien nodded, she could feel herself sag in relief even though her heart still thudded terribly in her chest and somehow even in her ear. Her secret was safe. What a close call! She took another breath, put a smile on her face, and returned to the land of the sort-of-living-but-trying-so-hard-not-to-die-in-front-of-your-crush. "I-I'll do my best."

"Thanks, Marinette…" he said. He looked around the classroom, eyes lingering on Nino and Alya in the front. Marinette followed his line of sight with confusion dancing behind her eyes. Did something— "Do you think we can talk over some coffee or something?"

Marinette blinked.

* * *

Cinnamon, she decided, was a blessed thing. Or a very lucky thing. Especially when it was sprinkled on top of a generous helping of whipped cream that had been applied to the top of a steaming cup of hot chocolate. She took a spoon and carefully dug in. She would have sipped at it—impending whipped cream mustache be darned—but she was not with a person who knew just how dorky she could be. She was not with Alya.

She was sitting across from Adrien, who was stirring at his own coffee—sweetened slightly with a touch of cream.

Cinnamon had never tasted so great in her life.

"Marinette, what would you do if one of your best friends saw you at a… well, in a bad situation?" Adrien asked.

 _Think about cinnamon, think about—wait, what?_

"A bad situation?" she asked. Puzzlement made itself clear when she furrowed her brows. "Like, if you were being harassed by somebody?"

Images of Chloe throwing herself upon Adrien came to mind and it was all she could do to keep her irritation in check. It was about time for the boy to say something, but maybe she was the wrong person to ask advice for on that sort of thing?

"No, nothing like that," Adrien quickly said, putting his coffee down. Marinette took another spoonful of whipped cream and hastily stuck it in her mouth so as not to let herself get distracted. She was here as Adrien's friend, helping him with a problem because he had asked her to. Nothing more, nothing less. She did her best to focus on the problem at hand and the cinnamon taste on her tongue. "More like… they saw you in a way you never wanted them to see you."

"Like a really embarrassing secret or something?" she asked. She never meant it to come out like that—heck, her mind was busy racing trying to think of what kind of embarrassing secret sweet _Adrien_ could want to hide—but the damage was done. Her blunt approach to the problem caused him to wince before nodding.

Adrien avoided eye contact and she could tell he was refraining from sulking back into his seat. He had done this once before and she knew that his mind was probably going down a thousand little bunny trails of 'what if's and 'worst-case-scenario's. He had done it once before and a lucky charm—a normal bracelet having nothing to do with her abilities as Ladybug—had been enough to cheer him last time, but she was certain there would be no easy fix this go around. She knew that she had to do something for him. Seeing Adrien feel sad about this was something she simply could not tolerate.

 _I can't do anything about him and his dad, but if I can help here, I'll do my best,_ she thought.

"Well…" she began, not quite sure what she was going to say but hoping something good would come out of her mouth quickly. "If it's your best friend, don't you think they'd understand what they saw and act…well, normal about it, I guess?"

"That's the thing… they've been treating me differently because of it. I tried just going back to normal, just pretending the whole thing never happened. But they keep trying to talk to me about it or face off against a problem that's not what they think it is, but it's not really something I think I could even explain to them," he admitted. "I just want things to go back to the way they were, but they're not making it easy."

Marinette listened carefully to what Adrien was saying. Because he was being vague, the situation seemed about as clear as mud to her. She had to clear things up a bit before she could give any sort of advice.

"Your friend… they're worried about you?" she finally asked. Adrien nodded.

"And… you can't fully explain things to them either?"

Adrien shook his head. That gave something for the girl to work with.

She looked back at her hot chocolate and contemplated how she would answer this. Now that she understood a little more, she felt as though she were the _last_ person to ask for advice on this sort of situation—given her own problems with Chat—but she also had a responsibility to Adrien in the fact that he _had_ asked her and was hoping for an outside perspective.

She would have groaned at the frustration of it all. Instead, she took another spoonful of whipped cream.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked. She glanced up at him only to find that his lovely green eyes were—well, for lack of a better word they were curious. Wide and politely asking that she help him.

He had come to her for help. Darn it all if she could not do this for him. She took another breath to calm herself.

She could and would help her friend as best she could.

"I think… even if you can't explain absolutely everything about the situation, you should try to explain what you can. Of course, if they're as close a friend as I think they are, then they'll eventually catch on that this is something that's not going to go away or change, right?" Marinette asked, peeking up to see if she was on the right track.

"Do you think that'll really help?" Adrien asked. "If I say the wrong thing they'll get even more worried."

"But if you say nothing at all, they'll keep worrying and things might be really awkward for a while," she said. Flashes of Chat Noir flew through her mind for a moment and she frowned, easily bringing to mind her own anxiety over her partner. "Or they might get even more worried if you keep saying nothing."

The dream boy sitting across from her seemed to take her words into consideration as he took a sip of his coffee. She followed his lead and put the spoon down to finally take a drink of her hot chocolate, the beverage having cooled quite a bit by now. The atmosphere was far too heavy… she had to say something reassuring.

 _Don't screw this up, please!_

"But I don't think you should worry too much," she tried. When Adrien turned to her, a flush came to her face but she bravely persisted. "Nino's pretty chilled out, so I'm pretty sure he'll listen to what you have to say. I'm sure everything will work out."

She watched as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, then rose. She tried to hide behind her hot chocolate again. Maybe she had been mistaken…?

"Sorry, but the way you wanted to get out of the classroom after seeing Alya and Nino, I thought that maybe it had something to do with him? I didn't mean to assume, but I really think things will work out since you're so close and best friends and all. So if it is Nino we're talking about, I'm sure that everything will work out for the best is all I'm trying to say and even if it isn't Nino I think things will turn out just fine. I mean, I really think it will since you seem so earnest about this and that's what you really need to fix things. So I really think it'll be fine, but especially if it's Nino since you two are best friends like I said…"

Marinette paused to catch her breath before looking again to Adrien. His emerald eyes twinkled and the smile he gave her was a small honest piece of paradise. It took what breath she had caught away from her.

"Thank you, Marinette. I think it will too."

She could have melted into a puddle.

* * *

"…and we can add this to the presentation to make it look better and add some time. What do you think?" Marinette asked, looking over at Mylene for her approval. The short girl nodded.

"That looks great, Marinette!" her partner cheered. "I can't believe we're done already."

"Well, our topic _was_ ancient Egypt, and I had to do a bit of reading on it with Alya earlier in the year," Marinette admitted with a chuckle. "But your idea with the cat gifs was cute and funny. I don't think I would have thought of that to add more time to the presentation."

"Ah, well…" Mylene chuckled herself at the praise. "Egyptians worshiped cats, so I thought it might be cute."

"It is," Marinette assured as she saved the file. Once that was done, she took the flash drive out of the computer and passed it off to Mylene. "You'll probably make it to school faster than me on Monday, so it'll probably be safer with you."

"If you say so," Mylene smiled as she put the drive in her pocket. "Well, do you think that's everything?"

"I think so. Thanks again for meeting me here."

"It's no problem. Dad seemed happy to do some improv work while he waited for us," Mylene chirped. Both girls turned to the corner of the internet café where many children played. Currently, the tykes were watching Mylene's father as he attempted to 'free himself' from a box. When a little boy took out a 'key' and released him, the grown man let a thankful smile bloom on his face and proceeded to 'knight' the young lad. All of the children then wanted to be knighted. The collége students giggled at the scene of such a tall man being mercilessly swarmed by children.

"Well, I'm glad," Marinette smiled. A visible vibration from her bag tickled her leg and drew her attention away for a moment. Mylene followed her gaze with confusion and it took Marinette a moment to return to the conversation with a good natured chuckle. "That's probably my parents. They'd want me home soon so I better go."

"Do you want dad and I to take you home? It's no trouble," Mylene offered. Marinette waved her hands quickly.

"Oh, n-no need. I could use the exercise and your dad looks so happy with all the children around," she responded. They both turned to the tall man who had been completely toppled over by the mini people in the mere moments they had taken their eyes off of him. Mylene sighed with a humorous smile.

"I guess. Be safe on your way home," she said.

"I will, I promise," Marinette smiled, waving before she left the café. As soon as she did, she turned to find the nearest alleyway and ducked inside. Tikki shot out of her purse.

"He left you a message," she supplied helpfully.

"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette said. "Do you think this he's finally going to tell me why he doesn't want to go to the Agreste's?"

"We won't know until you hear his message," her friend said. "Just remember to not push him on it. That won't help anything."

"I know, Tikki, I know," Marinette said, silently grateful for the reminder. If it were up to her, she would find that cat as quickly as possible and demand all sorts of answers from him. As it was, she knew she needed to keep a level head and hear him out. She took a deep breath.

"Marinette?"

"I'm fine, Tikki," the everyday normal schoolgirl smiled. "Spots on."

 _ **AmyNChan: *hugs Adrien* This babu needs more love!**_

 _ **Adrien: *embarrassed***_

 _ **AmyNChan: XD Okay, now the cat son has a thing to tell you!**_

 _ **Adrien: *looks at card* Please read and review.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: You heard the cat son! XD**_


	6. Don't Worry

_**AmyNChan: *peeks inside* Hi… woah! *hides from random flying objects***_

 _ **Tikki: Please don't be too angry with her!**_

 _ **AmyNChan: Ehe, nah, they're right to be mad. I can't human, so it was hard for me to write this chapter. ^^;**_

 _ **Tikki:**_

 _ **AmyNChan: In any event, I actually did get this chapter out and I hope ya'll enjoy it~! *^_^* I don't own ML!**_

The wind whistled in her ears as she flew past the Paris scenery. Any tourist would have appreciated the delicate twilight hours and the romantic ambiance they provided. Any natural Parisian would have relaxed on such a rarely peaceful night. Any superhero, such as herself, would have thrived on the glistening lights of Paris.

At least, that's what her feline companion appeared to be doing when she approached him on the Eiffel Tower.

He sat with his back toward her and facing the Seine. Lights twinkled peaceably below as the sun began to make its decent to their right, casting his face in a soft orange glow. His untamable hair seemed almost ablaze and the light caught the catlike green in his eyes in just the right manner to make it reflect the dimming rays. His tail made lazy arcing motions beneath the beam he sat upon and his ears flicked with subtlety when she landed.

"I got your call," she mentioned casually as she moved to sit near to him. Chat made no indication of getting closer to her, but he made no move to gain distance. Maybe he really wanted to talk? "Though I have to say that the most 'mew'-ving place in Paris was a little ridiculous."

"I didn't think so," Chat said, a familiar grin on his face. "I thought it was mew-raculous."

Ladybug groaned. Either way she looked at that last one, it was a pun. "Chat, you're terrible."

"No I'm not," he replied. "I'm pawsome."

Ladybug allowed herself the luxury of an eye roll. It was her job to be understanding, to be a friend he could talk to when he felt comfortable talking to her. Part of that assumed that she would be as normal as possible until he chose to open up to her.

That did not stop her from wishing he would do it sooner rather than later.

"Chat—"

"My Lady—"

The two stopped, looking at each other. She had no idea what her eyes shone with, which emotion they chose to reveal to him, but she read his eyes loud and clear. Now that she was faced with them directly, she saw an earnestness that could not be denied. Humor danced in the far back of his iridescent eyes, allowing the two orbs to indicate just how much he needed to speak.

"You first," he said. Ladybug huffed, but there was no malice behind it. Chat was ever the gentleman, after all, and she should have expected it.

"I came here to listen to you, so you should go first," she insisted. She had expected a debate on it and was therefore surprised when he caved to the demand as soon as he did.

Not to say that he was quick about it. He was not. He spent the next few moments with his eyes trained on the river coursing with strength before them. Observing it as if it held every secret he could ever want just out of his reach. Yet her patience was well rewarded when her catlike partner hefted a sigh.

"My Lady, you really oughtn't worry about me."

Exactly one million indignant replies burst into her head at once. The only issue which kept her from voicing them aloud was deciding which to say first.

"W-wait, that came out wrong, didn't it? I didn't mean that I'm not grateful to have someone—especially someone as kind and smart as My Lady—worrying over me. I am! You don't even know how much I am. It's just that you're taking a situation that's not what you think it is and turning it into something that's not what you think it is. I can't explain everything and there's a reason for that—I mean I can barely explain anything at all because of—Come on… I practiced this, too…"

Ladybug watched as her partner dissolved into a groan that sounded almost exactly like a cat's meow. It was then that it hit her. He was really trying to talk to her about this. He was trying to open up about it. There was no sense of running away about any of his words. He was trying to be as straightforward as he could about it and it was obvious that there were some aspects that he simply could not say.

She felt like an idiot. A slightly relieved idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.

"Chat," she tried, halting the superhero in his mutterings. His green eyes turned to her, desperate to be understood yet unsure of what he could say.

 _You're taking a situation that's not what you think it is and turning it into something that's not what you think it is._

Her eyes widened. Had she even asked him what was going on before she decided for herself that he was afraid of the Agrestes? Had she taken a moment to listen to what he was saying when he tried to refute her? Had she taken the time to question his behavior to his face, rather than observe and then declare?

The answer was a resounding and quite painful 'no'. She had decided for herself, not talked to him about it.

"I haven't even asked you…" she said aloud. The wide look in his eye gave her a need to find something else to look at. The Seine worked well for this purpose. Yet somehow, hearing the words said aloud made her feel better about the situation. It was the admittance of a mistake, and she knew that she could deal with a mistake if she knew about it.

"My Lady?"

"I just went off and assumed that the reason you were so off was because you were afraid of the Agrestes. I get why I did, yeah, but I didn't even ask you," she said as an explanation. "I'm so sorry."

Her apology was answered with a small chuckle. Ladybug glanced over at her partner, able to see his shoulders easing from the tension that had built and his expression falling into a carefree smile. "My Lady, it wounds this cat that you would think so lowly of him as to assume he was afraid of a _civilian_. Gabriel Agreste is a very successful businessman. Nothing more and nothing less."

Ladybug could not have stopped the chuckle that escaped her. She shook her head.

"You were so tense in the estate, though. And even when I talked about it later," Ladybug reminded him. "It was like you were a whole other person. Someone quiet and submissive. Someone that really isn't the Chat I know."

She could tell he had not been prepared for her observation. His eyes flicked away from her face, thinking. A frown pulled at his face as he contemplated his options. Whatever options they were, Ladybug did not know. As she watched her partner's face, it was clear to her that there were only a couple key things that she truly and desperately needed to know. Everything else could wait.

"Chat, just tell me two things," she said. "Are the Agretes dangerous?"

"No!" Chat exclaimed. His eyes—green all the way through—were wide against the question and he held his hands out before him as if to dispel the very thought. "No, they're really not, I promise! Gabriel Agreste is just a businessman, and Adrien really isn't dangerous."

A moment passed, and with it the sun's fading rays. The sky around them faded, but not too much. For in the city of lights, darkness was never truly a companion.

"I believe you," she said simply. And she did. She believed his wide eyes, the curve of his shoulders as he bowed to show his earnestness, his wildly gesturing hands. She believed her partner who was as loud as ever in both voice and gesture.

She smiled when the feline themed superhero let out a breath. She had not believed him when she asked after leaving the Agreste mansion, but she believed him now. She had pushed him and assumed and that was nothing a good friend would do. They needed to keep communication open and with as few misunderstandings as possible.

"You will tell me if someone hurts you, right?" she asked. "You acted so strangely and I was really worried."

"You do care," Chat purred. Ladybug shot him a glare whose meaning was self-evident. He held his hands in the air, a clear sign of playful surrender. The grin would not vacate his face.

"Chat."

"I will, My Lady. If only to ease your worries," he relented. Ladybug frowned and her eyes narrowed.

"I'm serious."

"Me, too. I don't want you to worry, so I'll tell you."

"Promise me."

"I paw-mise. Cross my hearts, all nine of them."

Ladybug groaned, though the smirk on her lips was not to be ignored. This was her partner. Silly, earnest, fun, loyal, and completely trustworthy. The grin on his face was much more at ease than when she had arrived and if the truth were to be known then she felt herself more relaxed in her friend's presence. The moon was climbing ever higher in the sky and things seemed to be going all right.

"Thanks," he said. "For hearing me out."

A smile. "No problem."

Everything was going to be all right.

* * *

"Have a good evening!" Marinette called out after the customer with a smile. It was no rush hour, but the bakery still kept Marinette plenty busy for a mere Saturday evening. Her parents were in the back working on a rather large order, so it was her job to hold down the fort out front.

At least, it had been until her mom peeked out from behind the brick wall that separated the ovens from the front of the store.

"Thanks for helping out today, Marinette. I know you wanted to go to the fabrics store much earlier than this," her mother said as she replaced the youth behind the counter.

"It's fine, maman," Marinette smiled, happy to help. "Will you guys need me any more tonight?"

"I don't think so. Are you planning on going out with Alya after the store? You have your phone, don't you?"

"Yes, I have my phone. But Alya's still got to work with Nino on her project. Mylene and I already finished so I'll most likely come right back home and get started on my new idea."

"Oh? Finished early on a school project? It's been a while since that happened."

"Maman…"

"Oh, I'm teasing. Papa and I will see you when you get back," her mother said, her eyes twinkling with a mischievous light that Marinette was fairly sure only parents and certain cats could achieve. And possibly Alya, but that was a whole other can of ladybugs that she did not want to even touch. Instead of dwelling upon it, Marinette settled for giving her mother a quick hug and kiss before departing with an equally hurried 'I love you' back into the shop.

As she took a shortcut through the park, the night air cooled her from the relatively warm temperature of the bakery. The nip in the air was by no means uncomfortable; in fact, it was rather welcome. The first few blocks of her stroll were spent simply enjoying the fortunate weather and the fact that her shoulders were eased of the burden they had been carrying for the past few weeks. She had been able to give Adrien some advice—she truly hoped it would help him make up with Nino or whatever had happened to trouble him so—and she had been able to relatively smooth things over with Chat about his odd behavior. Knowing of her partner's certainty that there was no danger to be found and that he would tell her if something truly was wrong lifted a great weight from her mind and left her able to feel the better things of life like giddiness again.

Or surprise.

"Hi, Princess."

Surprise would work as well.

Marinette blinked to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. That she was not imagining the leather-clad hero standing before her, a wide grin on his face. That she was not hallucinating in seeing him stand so nonchalantly before her civilian persona at the cusp of evening as if such an act would go unnoticed by the general populous. That she had not lost her hearing and therefore missing a myriad of screams caused by an akuma attack, which would be a good reason for Chat Noir showing up before her now.

"Cat got your tongue?" he asked. She blinked again. No, her hearing was working just fine. No screaming. No akuma attack. Just Chat standing in front of her in the evening.

"Chat Noir," she finally said. The black-suited superhero gave a cheerful wave when the girl finally greeted him. Despite his nonchalance, uncertainty began to tingle up her spine. "What are you doing here, is something wrong? There isn't an akuma or anything, is there?"

"Nope," he said, his expression not once changing from its carefree countenance. "I was just in the neighborhood and you _chat_ my attention."

"Really?" she asked, surprise and suspicion on the forefront of her mind. What on earth could she have been doing to get him to notice her? More importantly, what was he doing out in the first place? She watched as he merely laughed.

"Cat-solutely!" Chat said. It was then that Marinette noticed. His laugh felt free today. More so than it had been the past couple of weeks. Maybe it was because she was a civilian and he technically had no trust issues with her, but she hoped that it was because the problem with Ladybug had been settled in his mind. The thought made her smile.

"Well, I'm on my way to the fabrics store, and I'm sure you have lots of superhero things to do," she said, attempting to shoo him on his way. As happy as she was that he was feeling better, she did not want him around her long enough to connect the spots.

Dots. She meant dots.

Darn that Chat and his infectious smart-aleck puns.

"Wait, Marinette, I do have a mew-ssage for you," Chat Noir said. His quick words gave her pause and she tilted her head in curiosity.

"Me?" She watched as Chat rubbed his head, appearing almost bashful. It caught her by surprise. "I didn't think superheroes were part time mailmen…"

"Not usually, but a friend of mine wanted to get a message to you and I told him I would pass it along next chance I got," he admitted. Marinette's eyebrows rose.

"Why didn't they just text me or call me?" she asked. Whoever was desperate enough to get Chat Noir to send a message surely had to have known there were easier ways of delivering a simple message. Chat Noir shrugged.

"Something about not having your number," he said. Marinette wondered about that silently. Almost everyone in her class had her phone number. Even Chloe... She wondered who could possibly have something to say to her that needed such a form of delivery.

"Okay…" she said. She looked up at Chat with eyes she knew to be expectant. Whatever the message was had to be—

"He said thanks for the advice."

She blinked. Advice? Wait—

"He said it really helped with his friend. He would have waited until Monday to say anything, but—Marinette, are you okay?"

She had given advice to Adrien. That was the only thing she could think of. He said it had helped. He had gotten Chat Noir to send her the message. He had gotten Chat Freaking Noir to send her a thank-you!

She needed to sit down.

Her legs moved robotically as she found the nearest bench and took a seat. For some reason, Chat found it a good idea to take the unoccupied seat next to her.

That was fine. She needed to process anyway.

After she was done fizzling out, of course.

"I can't believe he actually got you to send me a thank-you. I can't believe this. I would have been happy with a thank-you. Adrien is thanking me for the advice, it was actually good advice, I can't believe this is happening to me, I need to wake up, this is a dream, no, I need to call Alya, I can't believe…"

"Marinette?" Chat asked, pulling the girl from her tailspin of crazy. Okay, not _crazy_ , per se, but definitely not normal. She took a deep breath and smiled.

"Sorry, this is just… I'm really happy," she explained. She felt on cloud nine and it would be fine if she told Chat because Chat was Chat and she was Marinette and not Ladybug right now and there would be no way he could make that connection. Right?

The thought of Adrien sending her a message was putting her mind on the fritz. Somehow, she was okay with that.

"I can see that," Chat chuckled. "Maybe I should open a delivery service if it makes people like this."

"Like…this?" she asked, knocked off-track with his line of thinking. She was not even sure _what_ he was thinking.

"Happy," he explained. "It's nice to see the citizens of Paris in a mew-varlous mood. Maybe I should make deliveries more often."

"Nah," Marinette laughed. "First off, you're a superhero and I'm sure you have another life you have to get back to, but secondly I'm happy because Adrien sent me a message. It's cool that you're the middleman, but _Adrien_ sent _me_ a _message_!"

She continued to let herself bask in that fact for a moment. Absolutely nothing could bring her down from her joy. Nothing.

"You know, it might happen more often if he had your phone number," Chat said. Marinette blinked, then turned to the superhero. Then she processed what he said. Her face flushed.

"Wh-what? I can't just give _Adrien_ my phone number! What if I mess up? What if I can't talk right? What if I say the wrong number and he calls and it turns out to be the rejection hotline!?"

"You memorized the rejection hotline?" Chat asked. Marinette groaned and rested her head into her awaiting hands.

"No, but what if? I just started being able to talk around him, I don't know if I can—what if I leave another embarrassing voicemail?"

"Voice—"

"Or I'm talking to Alya about him and I send it to him instead? He'll think I'm creepy!"

"Huh—"

"What if the world spontaneously combusts when I'm trying to text him about something and it's all my fault!?"

By this point, Marinette had stood and was pacing around, wringing her hands nervously. This was bad bad bad. If she gave Adrien her phone number, he would see her even weirder than he already probably thought she was! She would surely make a fool of herself, trip over her words even in text, maybe even send an embarrassing picture by accident. Not good at all!

And then there was Chat's sudden chuckling.

"Chat!" she complained, frowning and embarrassed. "Don't laugh at me, this is serious!"

She could only watch as Chat held up a hand as he forced his chuckles to cease. She frowned at how entertained he was by her very real dilemma. She was about to scold him when he beat her to speaking.

"Princess, you aren't going to mess anything up. Adrien Agreste is a normal person in your class who wants to be your friend," he said. "He told me you're a good person to know."

"Really?" she asked. Lying was not in Chat's nature, but it seemed almost too good to be true that he would have talked to Adrien about—

Wait.

Wait a minute…

"Cat's honor," he said, smiling. "Now, I have to start patrol and you should probably hurry on your way. A princess shouldn't be out too late after dark, after all."

She felt herself agree, but her mind was in other places. Connecting dots, putting pieces together. She watched as Chat smiled and bounded away before returning to the bakery. She greeted her mother—who, for some reason, seemed surprised at the lack of fabrics in her daughter's arms—greeted her father, and made her way to her room.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Tikki asked once she came out of the girl's bag. Marinette took a moment more of thought before she voiced her question aloud.

"When did Chat talk to Adrien?" she finally asked. She knew the amount of turbulence that it had caused their partnership, that the issue of the Agrestes had made it hard for Ladybug and Chat Noir to work together. So how was it that Chat was able to deliver a message on behalf of the blond haired model when it seemed impossible for him to talk to Ladybug about the boy at all?

The question plagued her as she readied herself for bed.

* * *

" _Too slow!"_

" _I'm trying!"_

" _Try harder! At this rate, nothing can be done even if you get them!"_

 _A gurgled growl. Papers flying everywhere. Ripped fabric. Harsh breaths._

" _We could always try that."_

" _I believe we said that to be a last resort. I cannot have—"_

" _There's no time to find another solution. Do you want her back or not?"_

"… _she will never forgive me."_

" _She won't forgive you anyways."_

 _A pregnant pause. A slam against the wall. A hushed growl._

" _Transform me."_

 _ **AmyNChan: Dun dun duunn!**_

 _ **Marinette: This is where you start going off-script, right?**_

 _ **AmyNChan: Yeah. I had a different ending planned, but this is going to go a little differently from what I had planned. XD**_

 _ **Marinette: Well, as long as you don't abandon it, right?**_

 _ **AmyNChan: Right! *^_^* Please read and review, guys!**_


	7. Paris, We Have a Problem

_**AmyNChan: Okay, so there are going to be a few differences between this and the actual show starting here (mainly with origins and with a few episodes that came out after I started this idea), but I'm going to be tipping my hat to some of the episodes while I can, even if they're not a part of this universe. XD**_

 _ **Marinette: That makes no sense.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: Ehe… ^^;**_

 _ **Marinette: You're hopeless.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: I know… I don't own Miraculous Ladybug! *^_^***_

Marinette awoke the next day with questions buzzing about in her mind, yet she decided to push them back. Today was Sunday and she was going to enjoy it if she could. She called Alya up once she was sure the girl would be awake. There had been one time she had called at nine twenty in the morning. Not a good day. Too early.

The phone buzzed while Marinette thought, refusing to let old problems bother her now. Chat would tell her if something were wrong, he promised. He would tell Ladybug if the Agrestes were a problem, so she now had to trust him and ignore her confusion for now.

But how was he so uncomfortable talking about them to Ladybug and so relaxed in passing a message from Adrien to Marinette? That cat was so confusing! How could she _not_ think about it?

"Hey, girl," Alya said from the other side of the screen. Marinette instantly let a grin spread over her face when she heard her best friend's voice. "What's up?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to hang out today," Marinette said. "You have your homework done yet?"

"Pssh," Alya returned with a smirk. "Nino and I have to fix a couple of things on the report, but we should be done by two or so. Meet up with you then?"

Marinette rolled her eyes, but gave a small grin. "Sure, whatever you say, Alya."

"Girl…"

"Oh, I think maman is calling me from downstairs."

"Marin—"

"I'll see you at two, then!" Marinette cheerfully hung up the phone, pleased to have turned the tables on her friend. Alya always seemed to have the upper hand in their conversations and it was good to change that for once. Tikki sat on the desk with that same worried expression she had from last night. Marinette attempted to comfort the kwami with a smile, reaching out her fingers in order to give her friend a small hug. "Tikki, I'm fine."

"I know you are, Marinette. You're very strong when you need to be," the ladybug deity of power replied with a kind smile as she gave Marinette's fingers a gentle squeeze. "You're much more Ladybug than you know."

Marinette smiled at her small friend. Tikki seemed to know when things did not add up for her charge and was usually very good with her words. A chat with Tikki almost always made the girl feel more at ease, even when she thought there was nothing to fix.

"Thanks, Tikki," the young girl responded. "Hey, since we won't meet up with Alya until two, maybe we can—"

But whatever Marinette had planned would have to wait. Her phone vibrated against the desk, demanding her attention. Curiously, she held the phone up to see that Alya was calling her back. Marinette felt her eyebrow furrow in confusion.

"If she were going to call me back after I hung up on her, she would have done it immediately, wouldn't she?" Marinette asked aloud. Tikki shrugged.

"I don't know, but maybe you should answer it," she said. "If nothing else, you can work out what you girls will be doing at two or where you should meet up. You didn't exactly make any plans when you hung up on her."

"You're right," Marinette smiled. She answered the call with audio only instead of the usual face-to-face chat they usually used. She had to hide Tikki somehow, did she not? "Hey, Al—"

"Marinette, forget the project. You need to come over right now."

"Huh?" Marinette asked. The tone in Alya's voice was that no-nonsense reporter tone that she almost always took on when she talked about akuma fights she had yet to post on the Ladyblog. Regardless, Marinette began to gather her belongings and reached for her jacket. "What's going on? You sound—"

"Please, Marinette. I can't talk over the phone, but get over to my place pronto. I'll explain when you get here," Alya said.

"Okay, but—"

"Thanks!"

Marinette was left on the stairs of her home and a dial tone in her ear. She turned to Tikki, who was perched on her shoulder. "What do you think that was about, Tikki?"

The red being shrugged, her eyes trained on the phone. "I don't know, but it really sounded like she was worried. Maybe you should hurry."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed before making it downstairs. "Maybe I should."

* * *

"…n't tell her!"

"I have to! I can't let her figure this out by herself! She's my best friend and I absolutely refuse to let her find out about this on the blog when she's alone and susceptible and—"

"And it'll be over! Ladybug and Chat Noir can fix this, but you don't have to do to her what's going on. She'll—"

Rather than continue to eavesdrop on a conversation—argument, really—that she ought not to be hearing, Marinette pushed down her own curiosity and knocked on Alya's bedroom door. As she expected, the two voices hushed at once. A series of thuds she could only assume were rapid footsteps sounded before Alya pushed the door open.

"Inside. Now."

Even though Marinette would have obeyed that tone of voice without prompting, Alya grabbed the girl's arm and jerked her into the room. The bluenette easily lost her balance, but had no time to fall as Alya promptly dragged her over to her a chair.

"Alya, stop, you're hurting my arm," Marinette said, a squeak of pain escaping as she spoke. As if realizing what she was doing, Alya let go, her eyes wide and apologetic.

"Oh my gosh, girl. I'm sorry," Alya apologized. "It's just… I don't know where to start…"

"Then don't," Nino interjected from his place sitting on Alya's bed. The boy had his arms folded and an unusual scowl on his face, which concerned Marinette greatly. "She doesn't have to get involved in this. She can go home right now and not—"

"And what? Figure it out if he's not back by Monday? Learn about it when it's all over the news? All over the _Ladyblog_? She's going to find out somehow, someway—probably before all of this is over—and I'm not going to hold it back from her and I'm _really_ not gonna let her hear about it when she's alone and susceptible to his tricks. She's my best friend and I'm going to tell her!"

Were they even aware she was in the room anymore?

"Whatever, but once you tell her she gonna want to do something about it," Nino warned.

"I kept you here, didn't I? I'll keep her in here, too."

Nino evidently had nothing to say to that. Nothing, at least, that Alya would have acknowledged. Instead, he yanked his hat off his head and rubbed the stubble of hair across his scalp. Marinette watched as he huffed a breath of air out of his lungs and she completely expected him to continue the argument with Alya. It seemed as though even Alya expected him to continue the fight as well, but she was nice enough to wait for him to make the first move.

No such thing happened. Nino kept quiet and only cast Alya a final warning glare before turning away. It seemed as though he had quite finished attempting to change her mind.

"Did…I miss something?" Marinette finally asked. The tension was so palpable that she could have cut it with a knife. Yet so much seemed to be riding on said tension that she was afraid what would happen if it suddenly snapped. Alya turned to her friend and gave her a sad look.

"Marinette… I got a video this morning. One of the Ladyblog followers sent it in to be put up on the site. Usually they're like music videos that fans splice together using pictures and video feed of Ladybug and Chat Noir that I get from their fights or interviews or whatever," Alya explained. "Every once in a while, I put one up on the Ladyblog as a shout out to the fans."

"I…didn't know that," Marinette admitted. She loved her friend and supported her blog, but that did not mean that she combed the website for everything it featured. To her, that would be just too weird. Especially now that she knew there were fan videos. How embarrassing…

Nino muttered something but Alya ignored it. Marinette followed suit, but wondered what it was that could have had the normally so laid back boy so stressed out.

"This morning I got a video. A threat addressed to Ladybug and Chat Noir," she explained. Marinette's eyes narrowed instantly.

"A threat? Don't akumas just usually go on a rampage through the streets and hope Ladybug and Chat Noir just show up so they can take their…whatever they're called?" she asked, attempting to sound as innocent as possible. Alya nodded.

"Miraculouses. And yeah, they usually do. But this one's smarter and more dangerous," she warned. "It's obvious that this one plans rather than attacking indiscriminately. He sent me the video from a cloaked IP address and told me to have it up by noon today so Ladybug and Chat Noir can see it, but I watched it myself and, well… I needed to make sure you two didn't see it without someone there for you."

At this, Alya turned to Nino. Marinette could feel the empathy radiating off her friend in waves. Nino refused to look at either of them, choosing to instead focus on a screen that had long since fallen asleep. Alya sighed and dragged Marinette to the computer, sitting her down in the chair.

Without another word of explanation, Alya woke the screen and pressed the small 'play' button on her media player. The video took only a moment or so to buffer, but that moment stretched for an eternity to Marinette. A video threat from an akuma was new and yeah, it meant they were getting smarter which was definitely a problem for the superheroes, but why would Alya call Marinette over to show her the video instead of immediately post it to the blog for Ladybug and Chat Noir to see?

"Hello, Ladybug. Chat Noir. I see that you have found my message."

His face was almost completely obscured by a mask. It was grey and covered eighty-five percent of his entire head. Blue eyes flickered in cold victory, a diabolical smirk on his sharp features.

"The demand is very simple. Hand over your miraculouses by the Fontaine du Palmier."

His suit was sharp and clean. The camera only showed as far as his butterfly pin, but Marinette suspected there was something else that she was not seeing yet.

"You have until three. If not, the boy will suffer."

Boy? What bo—

Marinette watched as the video panned out dramatically. In any other situation she might have cringed at the theatrics. How the pixilated image took its time to reveal who exactly the helpless victim was that had been taken.

But there was no way she could concentrate on all of that now.

"Marinette? Girl, talk to me."

Not now.

"I told you she shouldn't have seen!"

She had to breathe.

"Nino, check the windows. We can't let any of those little black bugs in here, okay?"

She had to plan.

"How long does it take for them to come?"

She had to think.

"I don't know, I don't remember. Not that long. She needs to calm down and then she'll be clear."

She had to be calm.

"I'll keep a lookout for that akuma thing, but you need to post that now. Ladybug and Chat Noir have to know as soon as possible to save him, right?"

She had to be Ladybug. Not for her own sake.

"You're right. Keep an eye on her, Nino."

But for his.

"Hey, Marinette. Are you okay? Breathe."

Fiercely determined blue eyes met the concerned gaze of chocolate. The boy blinked in surprise, but Marinette could not be bothered by that. She had a lot of work cut out for her.

"I'm fine."

She needed to rescue Adrien.

* * *

"I'll just be down the hall," Marinette assured her best friend, wiggling for extra emphasis on the fabricated reason as to _why_ she had to leave the room right that very moment. Five minutes ago, actually. "Besides, you're up on the third floor. Do you really think I'll be able to go anywhere?"

Alya gave her very best friend in the whole wide world the most deadpan look. "Girl, you seriously think I'm buying that?"

Marinette could have groaned aloud. Alya just _had_ to know her nervous tics and when she was lying _precisely_ when she did not want her to, didn't she?

"Alya, please!"

"You're not leaving this room."

"But I have to pee!"

"N—"

"Why don't you just guard the door?" Nino asked from his spot on the bed. Both girls turned towards the teen. He seemed as unhappy to be there as Marinette was, but as far as she knew he did not have a deadline that was rapidly approaching. T minus two hours and counting, to be precise. "Then you know she won't run off."

"Yeah, but then you will. You can be just as impulsive as she can be," Alya shot at him. Marinette could easily see the fear behind her best friend's eyes as they flickered between her best friend and her boyfriend. "Neither of you were akumatised after the video, but there's no way I'm taking the chance of letting either of you do something stupid."

"You'll miss Ladybug footage if you're keeping us in here instead of being out there," Marinette pointed out, hopping on a foot for emphasis. How on earth did people manage all that movement when they had to pee, anyways? It was tiring.

"Some things are more important than the biggest scoop," Alya said flatly. Any other time and Marinette would have been touched. Really. She would have been over the moon and perhaps hopeful that maybe she could have let Alya in on the fact that she herself was Ladybug. However, there was the fact that Alya probably would either fangirl or yell if she knew the truth right at that very moment and the fact was that Marinette did not have time for a thirty-minute tirade.

There was no way she was transforming in front of her, not even after that. Not right now, at least.

"She'll pee on your carpet."

Alya scrunched her nose. "Don't care."

"We'll all have to smell it."

"I've changed dirty diapers before. I can live with it."

"Well, I haven't and I don't think I should have to smell Marinette's pee," Nino frowned. Before Alya could retort, he stood from his place on the bed. Marinette watched as he stretched his arms, but his eyes remained hard and angry at the situation. Obviously the thought of his girlfriend's best friend peeing in a small confined place they would clearly share for the next few hours (though not if she could help it!) was one final thing he would not tolerate. "We'll all go down to the bathroom and you and I stand guard while Marinette does her thing."

"But—"

"That's a good idea, Nino," Marinette interjected, hoping this was a sign of her changing luck. She would have to find a way to apologize and thank Nino somehow in the future. "Besides, like I said, we're on the _third floor_. Unless I'm superwoman—" _or Ladybug_ "—I won't be going anywhere."

The gears in Alya's head turned and Marinette could track the exact moment when the girl had given in. She had looked at Nino, then Marinette, then Nino, then had stared at Marinette for three seconds before she caved. Silently, Marinette thanked Tikki for her indirect bringing of good fortune.

"Fine," she said. She finally stepped away from the door and allowed her two hostages to follow her out. "Just know that there are at least five other human beings in this house who are all aware of the fact that you're under house arrest, so keep that in mind if you try to make a break for it."

"Yes, ma'am," Nino said. Marinette nodded along to keep suspicion away before they made the short five step trip to the bathroom. The bluenette girl quickly made her way inside and locked the door with probably more force than necessary.

"Are you sure about this?" Tikki murmured quietly, glancing from her chosen charge to the bathroom window. Whatever may be said about The Grand Paris, the living quarters for staff were very extravagant. Unlike the other rooms, the Cesaire residence faced the Siene and had a lot more space than other guests would have. This included a moderate window even in the bathroom. Though why any sane person would want to view the river while taking a shower was anyone's guess. Still, it suited her purposes now.

"I'm sure. Even if Alya or Nino notice the transformation, they won't be able to stop me in time. Tikki, transform moi," Marinette whispered. The uniform she knew flew over her skin and became her shield. The mask she assumed became her persona. She was Ladybug and she was on a mission. She opened the window as softly as she could and easily fit through.

"Sorry Alya, I know you mean well."

She allowed herself that small goodbye before she took to the air on her yoyo. She had a job to do and she knew she would need her partner for it. He was sure to have seen the video in the hour it had been posted and was most likely transformed, waiting somewhere to meet up and devise a plan. He was most likely at the Eiffel Tower, the one place that rested high above the rest of the city.

She found the iron bar to be cold and lonely despite the rapidly warming day.

"Come on, kitty," she muttered as she opened her yoyo and heard the dial tone. "Answer..."

This made no sense. Why would he target Adrien, of all people? There was no way he could have known the difficulties that Ladybug and Chat Noir had had over him. There was no way he could have known the fact that they had been asked _specifically_ to look after him. There was no way this could be anything other than a coincidence.

"Chat, answer your baton," she hissed into the yoyo, which only continued to buzz uselessly. " _Chat_..."

Why Adrien? Why now? Why, why, _why_?

Bells sounded from behind her, from the Notre Dame. It was two o'clock.

" _Chat..._ "

"He can't answer you right now."

The new voice startled Ladybug more than she would have liked to admit. It was a small voice which somehow managed to seem ancient and childlike all at once. She cast her gaze all around but was unable to—

Wait a minute.

Wait one...

"You look like a mouseroach," she stated. The little creature huffed in annoyance.

"How rude," it stated as it zoomed right in Ladybug's face. She did not back away from the strange creature, knowing it would not harm her. It was, after all, a part of her trusted partner. "I always thought Tikki chose the polite ones."

"Where's Chat Noir?" she asked, brushing aside his light scolding. "And why aren't you with him? He needs you to—"

"He couldn't transform even if I was there, Ladybug," the creature responded. Despite the simplicity of his statement, his green eyes were narrowed in frustration. "He's been captured."

Ladybug allowed the words to wash over her, their meaning taking root far more quickly than one would assume. Chat Noir, her trusted partner and ally, was captured. His kwami was the one to deliver the news.

"He's a civilian right now," she muttered. "Why couldn't he transform, er…?"

"Plagg," the being said swiftly. "And he was taken while he was sleeping. By the time he figured out what was going on, he couldn't transform without giving himself away to HawkMoth. He sent me here to wait for you."

"So you know where he is, then," she said, her eyes lighting with hope. Chat, you clever, clever kitty.

"Yup, but you're not gonna like it. Heck, _A—Chat_ doesn't like it. I don't like it either, if you were wondering."

"He knows where he is? I thought HawkMoth would hide them somewhere dark, cold, and hidden. That's what it looked like in the video, at least," Ladybug mused aloud. The small kwami—Plagg—shot her a look that did not sit well with her. As though he were honestly measuring her intelligence by that statement alone.

"What?"

"I take it back. You're _both_ stupid."

"Excuse—"

"Come on," Plagg said, cutting her off and zipping away from the Eiffel Tower. "The sooner we rescue Chat the sooner this will all be over."

Ladybug had no choice but to follow. While rude, the kwami did have a point. She could not go into this battle without her partner by her side.

* * *

"… _too far."_

" _You know it's too late. They're on their way."_

 _Three beings in the room. Two conscious._

" _Do it."_

 _A silence._

" _Do it now."_

" _Possa… transform moi."_

 _A shower of purple. The last figure conscious._

 _ **AmyNChan: If you can guess from which language "Possa" is derived, I will draw you an art. XD As a hint, it's pronounced "Poe-sah". XD**_

 _ **Marinette: Adrien and Chat are in danger!**_

 _ **AmyNChan and Plagg: *exchange knowing looks***_

 _ **Marinette: *worrying***_

 _ **Plagg: Hey, if any of you readers have cheese—**_

 _ **AmyNChan: He means reviews. We would appreciate those. *^_^***_

 _ **Plagg: No, I mean cheese.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: Too bad.**_

 _ **Plagg: ):[**_


	8. Fights and Revelations

_**AmyNChan: Okay, one thing that I'm going to make clear—this is vastly different from what the origin episode revealed to us since this was thought up before I saw that. It's why the butterfly kwami is named "Possa", a shortened version of the Spanish word for 'butterfly', rather than Nooroo. It's to help all of us distinguish between the two.**_

 _ **Marinette: So try not to think about the origin episode when you're reading this, because otherwise you might end up very confused.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: Now that that's settled, enjoy the story based on a show I don't own~! *^_^***_

"You have got to be kidding me."

Plagg instantly shushed the heroine, but she could not help the hiss that escaped her lips as soon as he led her to their destination. There, atop the Agreste mansion, Ladybug sat perched above a closed window. She glared at the little black ball of fur, displeasure dripping from her very expression.

"HawkMoth took them _here_? Wouldn't Adrien be able to esca—"

"Shh!" Plagg hissed once more. However, instead of returning her glare, an action he had grown accustomed to doing over the past few minutes, the kwami was paying attention to the window a mere six inches from their position. "Listen."

While she was irritated with being told what to do, Ladybug begrudgingly obliged. She dropped closer to the window—which she now realized had an open section in the middle—and focused on the sounds which were emanating from the building. Chat Noir would have been able to hear better, but his help was not an option at the moment.

"…know that Ladybug and Chat Noir are stopping this from becoming a reality."

"But—"

"Adrien, I know life has been difficult since she disappeared. But with the miraculouses, that won't be a problem anymore!"

" _Pere_ , please _—_ "

" _No!_ For now, I am HawkMoth, enemy to Paris. But I will do what I must to bring her back!"

"Ladybug," Plagg hissed, ramming his head against hers. It snapped her from her thoughts and the horrifying revelations. She _knew_ that voice coming from inside. She knew it as well as her own heartbeat. And there was no way she could allow sweet Adrien to continue his suffering like that.

In the hands of his very father. In the hands of HawkMoth.

"Find Chat and transform him. Then get Adrien out of here," she seethed. "I'll distract HawkMoth until you two come back."

What Plagg would or would not have said next meant nothing to her. She grabbed one of the roof's ledges and swung with all her might until her strengthened feet could smash into the window. The resounding crash was loud, magnificent, and exactly the distraction Ladybug needed to create. Glass glittered in sharp fractals as they fell from above, littering the ground in a prism of lights and colors for the shortest of moments.

Her eyes darted around the space. It was not as small as she would have thought for a hidden evil lair, but it was large enough to house several hundred butterflies. Between the glittering white lights and the rainbow reflections, she was able to make out a single shape huddled on the far side of the room.

 _Adrien…_

"Ladybug," HawkMoth snarled, bringing her attention back to her opponent. Her focus sharpened onto his every feature. The mask that covered so much of his face. The cold blue eyes that promised imminent death. The white teeth bared in a snarl. "How did you know to come here?"

"That's for me to know," she hissed, reaching for her yoyo. She had to buy time. "And for you to never find out."

"Pity," he returned. Ladybug's eyes followed the cane in his hand. He held it forward, the tip pointing towards her and bore his side to her. His other hand was held to the back and his legs were slightly bent, his center of gravity closer to the ground.

 _Like a fencer…_ she realized. She growled. How could a hobby that his own son took a part of be used for such evil? She flung her yoyo with a force that might have toppled a normal akuma victim, but he simply parried it. She drew her weapon back and launched it once more. He knocked it aside again.

"Pathetic," he muttered. He surged forward in a burst of speed that surprised the superheroine, only giving her enough time to pull her string taunt and act as a slim barrier between herself and the oncoming blow. A crude shield, but a shield nonetheless. His free hand moved in her peripheral vision, reaching for the side of her head; for her Miraculous. She shoved the string of her yoyo forward to knock the man off balance and flit backwards as quickly as her enhanced body would allow.

He seemed surprised at her sudden escape, but not deterred. He pushed forward once more, but Ladybug was prepared for his speed this time. She ducked to the side, away from where Adrien still sat.

 _Bad, bad, bad…_ she thought, ducking and weaving to avoid HawkMoth's advances. She wished she had told Plagg to untie Adrien so that he might escape and leave her free to fight without worrying for the civilian's safety until her partner's arrival, but sending him after Chat first was the best course of action she had seen at the time. She glanced quickly to the boy still huddled on the side of the wall. His blond head was shaking vehemently in between his two untied hands. Her heart went out to him.

A sliver of harsh metal came into contact with the side of her head, jarring her from her distracting thoughts.

The momentum of the hit carried her across the room and slammed her into the wall. Her back screamed in pain and spots danced before her eyes. She gasped for air and tried to shake the pain away. Footsteps were the first thing she heard after her ears began to function again. Footsteps that were only coming closer with each ragged breath she took.

There was no time to plan, only to act.

She pushed off against the floor, unsteady at first until she gained momentum. Ten steps between her and HawkMoth, but it was enough time for her to prepare a full on body tackle. Only ten steps, too short a distance for him to counter or even defend. Her shoulder rammed into his abdomen and she felt satisfaction in the fact that he doubled over, that the force had knocked him back just enough and that some little thing on the floor had caught the heel of his shoe. He was falling and she had at least winded him for a moment so she could _think_. Or try to.

She heard a wordless shout from behind her before she and HawkMoth landed on the ground. His cane fell upon her back with force and gave her no time to grit her teeth against the pain.

"Give me your miraculous!" the villain snarled. She could feel his free hand grab at one of her ponytails and attempt to jerk her backwards. She yelled as she resisted, moving her shoulders upwards to protect her ears.

"I won't!" she cried. "I don't care what you want to do with the miraculouses! I don't care who you're trying to bring back or whatever it was you just told Adrien!"

HawkMoth pulled more harshly at her hair, but the pain only fueled her rage. Her rage fueled her accusations. "You've hurt too many people in Paris for me to just forgive your actions and let you have your way! Everyone who's been akumatised! Everyone who lives in fear of you!"

HawkMoth's grip tightened on her hair and he yanked. Ladybug could feel tears of pain, of hurt, of anguish overcome her eyes. Those same blue eyes flashed in an anger that overrode her pain and forced her to continue. "You even used your own son! Isn't that why you called on Chat Noir and I to watch over him? To use him as bait! You—"

"Enough!"

Ladybug cried out in shock as HawkMoth jerked her head to the side and threw her away. She did not have the balance or preparation to counter the change in direction, but she quickly used the newfound space to distance herself further from the angry adult. Hair fluttered around her face and took her a moment to realize that his grasp had been firm enough to rip her ribbon from her head.

She grit her teeth. HawkMoth was the lowest of the low, and she would do anything to take him out.

"You are a child! You do not understand!" HawkMoth howled. "He promised to bring her back! He said he can do it with the power of the miraculouses! Stop being so impudent and _give them to me!_ "

HawkMoth pulled his cane up with both hands and ran full tilt towards Ladybug. With the gusto of an honest to goodness drama queen, he pulled the long stick-like weapon high above his head and came in for a reckless swing. Ladybug was only able to miss it by instinct alone. It was a move she had been forced to dodge too many times.

But why was he now adopting Chat Noir's reckless style of attack? Probably from watching his super villains capture and control Chat so often…? The thought only angered her further.

HawkMoth pulled his cane up and struck once again, desperation and anger fueling his attacks. Ladybug avoided injury with ducks and parries, falling into a predictable pattern. As her movements became more repetative, she scanned her opponent for an opening to begin her offense. Maybe if she could land a kick…

Suddenly, Hawkmoth lashed his cane to the side. The attack caught her off guard and broke through her defenses, leaving her ribs to take another agonizing blow. She gasped.

Ladybug shook her head, allowing her freed hair to cast a flimsy curtain over her earrings. If he could not see them, he would have a harder time finding them. Even a second or so could help in this battle.

HawkMoth swung his weapon in her direction and she barely had the time to avoid it. The ground where she had been a moment ago groaned and snapped under the sudden force of his attack.

"If you will not hand them over willingly, I will not hesitate to remove them from your dead body, Ladybug," HawkMoth spat. "I _will_ have your miraculouses!"

 _What do I do now? Chat isn't here yet, I need to finish this, but I can't on my own. I can't move as fast as I need to with these inju—MOVE!_

Muscle memory carried Ladybug away from HawkMoth's next strike. She hissed upon landing, her ribs making a noticeable protest against her actions. There was no way she would be able to keep up the speed she needed to evade HawkMoth for much longer.

 _Where are you, Chat?_

The steady sound of HawkMoth's shoes as he walked towards her drew her attention from her thoughts. His eyes never deviated from her face and she knew she had to move now. She pushed herself onto her feet, but her legs betrayed her in their trembling. Still, she stood resolutely against her foe, anger and hatred seeping from her very being.

 _Chat… I need you here!_

Then her ears caught something. Something that she should not have heard past her own harsh breaths and the beating of her heart. Something that sounded so small, so scared, yet so determined. Something that she should not have heard.

"Plagg, claws out."

No. No, no, no, no, no. She had to have hit her head too many times. She had to have taken one too many blows.

A green light shone from behind HawkMoth. The villain turned around to face it.

To the light that came from right where Adrien had been.

Right where Chat Noir was now.

Ladybug needed a moment to process this revelation in its entirety. A moment she did not have.

"Get away from her!"

"Adrien?! You're—"

Ladybug could only watch as her partner scrambled across the large room, hurling himself at the villain they had been facing off with for the longest time. At the person he called father. Ladybug could barely breathe.

Chat Noir rammed into HawkMoth and the adult careened into the side of the room. Chat Noir remained standing where he was, panting heavily.

Chat Noir. Her partner. Adrien Agreste. Her crush. This boy. Her _friend_. His eyes were swimming in hurt and unshed tears.

Ladybug snapped herself out of it. She could panic about the clashing identities later. For now, there was a villain to defeat.

" _Pere_...If you're going to be the enemy to Paris, I will have to be its hero! Ladybug and I… We're going to stop you! We're going to stop you no matter what!" Chat Noir shouted. Ladybug noticed his trembling hands. The way he blinked to keep his tears from falling in the midst of battle. She noticed it all.

And hated it.

She glared at HawkMoth. How could he do something like this? First using his son as bait, now forcing that same son to fight the father who he loved, admired, and respected? Ladybug knew she needed Chat's help to bring HawkMoth down, but knowing what she did now—the connection that these two souls shared—ripped her heart out.

A scream ricocheted against the walls, calling the attention of all who stood within. Its source was none other than the villain who lay in a crumpled heap on the other side of the room.

"I refuse! I can't! I won't!"

"You've come this far! You walked into this knowing you would never—"

"I don't want this!"

Ladybug's eyes widened. Something was happening. Purple light was flashing brightly then dimming around HawkMoth's body, but the transformation was not loosening in the seamless way she was accustomed to. Someone wanted to detransform, the other did not.

But which one?

"You _must_! Don't you want your precious wife back? Your son's _mother_?"

"I won't do this!"

"You weren't expecting forgiveness anyway! And you were going to kill—"

"DON'T!"

The light around HawkMoth burned into a bright purple. Ladybug had to shield her eyes against the glare but looked again quickly in order to assess the threat.

" _Pere_ …" Chat Noir said from beside her. She had no idea what possessed her to reach out and take his hand, but she knew she had to keep him away from the villain for a moment longer.

But which one was it? Who was the villain? One of them? Both? Who?

"You idiotic imbecile!" one of the voices shouted. Ladybug could not recognize it. "You are about to lose every chance of gaining her back!"

"I won't kill my son! He was only to be used as bait! No harm was to come to him!" Gabriel Agreste seethed. The man easily swiped a lilac butterfly from the air, gripping it tightly in his fist. "You gave me your word!"

"Humans are so stupid to place so much value in words," the butterfly responded. The instant change from raging fury to disinterested calm put Ladybug on edge. Something was not right with that kwami. "Especially when they're so emotional. Did you honestly think I could just burp her up after so long?"

"What?"

The pair turned towards Chat Noir. Ladybug felt his hand slacken then curl into a fist. He took a step forward. She held on. "You… _ate_ my mother? Is that what I'm hearing?"

"No, stupid child. I don't have a big enough mouth for that," the kwami said, its voice taking on a gleeful tone. "That woman was so filled with energy, the emotional range of this entire world! She could be happy or sad at the drop of a pin and _boy_ could she get mad! It was so easy to assimilate her, she kept me energized for _years_!"

" _Possa_!"

Ladybug's eyes widened when she saw the pink glow around her. No, no, no! She struggled to hold onto the transformation, but Tikki's newfound fury was too difficult to hold onto.

The transformation broke and Marinette could only watch as her kwami zipped over to Monsieur Agreste's hand. She had seen her friend this angry only a few times before, absolutely _vibrating_ with fury. "How dare you do that again!? There is a _code_! You—"

"Tikki!"

Marinette could only watch as Chat Noir's transformation dropped. One green flash and Plagg had shot towards the red kwami, tackling her as the butterfly phased out of Monsieur Agreste's hand. The man reached out to grab the kwami—evidently named _Possa_ —once more, but the butterfly simply fluttered out of the fashion designer's hand.

"Ah yes, the _code_ ," Possa sneered. "Only gather your energy from any food of your choosing, but not from a living being. Only reveal yourself to a human when necessary and only to your chosen. Work in _balance_ and _harmony_. Pathetic."

"You lied to your chosen!" Plagg hissed in return.

"So do you!" Possa shot.

"I've never lied to Adrien! I tell him what he needs to know and that's it! You deliberately told Gabriel you could _burp her up_?! Once you've assimilated any living thing, they don't come back! They're gone, mind, body, and soul! You know that!"

"And?" Possa asked, bored. "It got you here, didn't it? You know, you could have saved all of those people if you had just let me assimilate y—"

"Enough!" Tikki shrieked. Marinette watched as one of her best friends flew towards the butterfly kwami, rage in the form of tears coming from her face. "Plagg!"

"On it!"

Marinette could only follow streaks of light as they zipped across the top of the room. Lilac butted against red, then black would dart in for the lilac to retreat. Sparks flew and she still had no idea what was happening.

"Tikki…" she murmured, sending a prayer that her friend would escape this unharmed.

" _Pere_!"

Adrien's arm was gone from her grasp and Marinette was too late to stop him from joining his father's side. She cast a final worried glance to the fight above before hurrying to her frantic partner's side.

Monsieur Agreste had collapsed against the floor.

"Wake up! _Pere_!" the boy shouted. He tried to shake his father's shoulders, tried to shout, tried to slap his face. Nothing was working. " _Pere_!"

"Chat, calm down!" Marinette snapped. She pushed herself into a Ladybug mentality, forcing herself to see her partner in a frantic mess rather than a crush she could barely speak to. It was easier to deal with him as a friend than anything else.

She looked over Monsieur Agreste's prone form. His breathing was quick yet labored. He was curled in on himself. Marinette pushed her hand against the man's face and frowned when his forehead felt clammy. His cheeks were gaunt as she remembered them to be, but it pointed to something larger, she knew it. She glanced at his hands and noticed that they were thin. His hands were thin, his cheeks were gaunt, he was struggling for breath…

"He wasn't this exhausted a few minutes ago…" Marinette muttered. "Maybe his kwami was giving him energy to fight?"

"How do we fix it, though?" the boy asked, sitting opposite of her. She chanced a glance at him and saw something she had not seen before.

His hair was blonde, not shining like the sun, but in disarray. His face was turned towards her, and while her heart thumped, it was not in a pleasant way. His bright green eyes were watching her in desperation and hope, and it only caused her pain. His posture was gone, and in the place of the perfect model she had crushed on was an absolutely crushed boy about her age watching his only family suffer.

Her friend in pain. And it hurt. And she wanted to fix it _now_.

She looked at the barely conscious adult and recalled the last time she had met with Gabriel; it was not but two weeks ago. She remembered a long face, cold blue eyes, and graying hair. His posture had been straight as a board and he had seemed somewhat imposing, so it was evident he had strength back then. So what had _happened_?

" _You…_ _ate_ _my mother?"_

So kwami could eat people...

" _I don't have a big enough mouth for that… It was so easy to assimilate her, she kept me energized for_ _years_ _!"_

Assimilation… taking something into another something, like food in the stomach. But if it kept Possa energized for that long, either they gained a lot of energy from humans or the process took a long time...

" _Once you've assimilated any living thing, they don't come back! They're gone, mind, body, and soul!"_

Would that mean they just… disappear?

Marinette's eyes widened. If assimilation took such a long time and if Madame Agreste, Possa's energy source, had been missing for at least three years, then…

She turned to numbly gaze at the fighting kwami. Tikki and Plagg were subduing the purple kwami, Possa fighting them as best he could.

What if Possa had begun to assimilate monsieur Agreste?

 _ **AmyNChan: Okay, three betas later and I'm fairly confident this was an okay chapter. XD Many thanks to from tumblr, Snavej from , and Hchano from tumblr for putting up with me and helping to refine this baby until completion~! *^_^***_

 _ **Marinette: *slack jawed***_

 _ **AmyNChan: Hey, I did warn you that it was gonna be different…**_

 _ **Marinette: *looks at AmyNChan* Update. Now.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: ehe.. well, I haven't**_ _ **written**_ _ **it ye—OH HOLY FUDGEMUFFINS I'M GOING I'M GOING!**_

 _ **Marinette: *returns to look at last words, slack jawed***_

 _ **AmyNChan: *peeks in* Please read and review—I'M GOING!**_

 _ **Marinette: *glares at AmyNChan***_


	9. The End (Almost!)

_**AmyNChan: Okay, ya'll! You've waited and some of you may have even forgotten, but THIS RIGHT HERE IS AN UPDATE AT ELEVEN AT NIGHT AND ITIRED BUT YA'LL HAVE YOUR UPDATE!**_

 _ **Marinette: …go to sleep.**_

 _ **AmyNChan: AFTER THIS UPDATE!**_

 _ **Marinette: *sighs* AmyNChan doesn't own Miraculous Ladybug.**_

"Ladybug, tell me how we can fix this. Please!"

Adrien's voice pulled Marinette to the situation at hand and away from the battle overhead. Monsieur Agreste was still on the floor, his son fluttering anxiously above him while begging for her help. Begging her to have an answer to this problem. She had no idea what he expected of her, though. A Lucky Charm? A Miraculous Ladybug to reverse all the damage? There was nothing she could do. Not without Tikki.

No, that was not right. She did not have the suit on, but that did not mean she was no longer Ladybug. Ladybug was more than a Lucky Charm or a Miraculous Ladybug. Ladybug was a planner. A strategist. She found solutions, solved problems using her mind and whatever was on hand. So, for Adrien's sake, she had to be Ladybug for now. She had to find the solution.

How could she help Monsieur Agreste?

She turned her attention from the anxious blonde to the unconscious businessman. If it were true that Possa had been sucking away his energy ever since his wife had disappeared, that could explain the gradual exhaustion over a long period of time. But the sudden and severe exhaustion confused her. How—

Marinette blinked. Of course! Possa had phased through Monsieur Agreste's hand to start fighting Tikki! Going through the man instead of just being nearby might have allowed him to take too much energy from Monsieur Agreste at once, which would have left the man unconscious! Okay, so Marinette had a 'why' he was like this, but how to fix—

Wait.

"Monsieur Agreste, can you hear me?" she asked, leaning forward to make sure her observations were right. They were. The man was beginning to grimace, his muscles twitching in what could have been pain or just general discomfort. There was even a twitch in his finger!

" _Pere_!" Adrien gasped.

"Yes, yes, I can hear you," the man replied, his tone somewhat snappish if not for the touch of grogginess that came with his words. Marinette frowned and pinched her eyebrows together. What gave this man the right to be so grouchy in the face of those who just wanted to help?

"I'm so glad you're okay," Adrien breathed. The girl looked at her friend and could not hold onto her anger in the face of the pure relief he displayed. It was simply not possible. "Can you stand?"

Marinette watched as the older man's jaw tightened. "Of course I can stand."

 _Bull_ , she thought. She did not, however, voice her observation aloud. Instead of concentrating on her rising irritation, Marinette cast another glance towards the aerial battle. The red and black blurs were still clashing upon purple, but the lilac light was moving in a way it had not been before. More…jagged, perhaps? Its movements were edgier. The purple light made an attempt to come closer to the cluster of humans, but the movement was blocked by the blur of black known as Plagg.

Possa was trying to return to the ground. Why? Did he not have enough energy from knocking out Monsieur Agreste the first time? Did he really have to try to do it again?

"…grounded. Go to your room."

" _Pere_ , this is serious!"

Marinette snapped back to the father and son. Adrien was clearly attempting to get his father to rest further, but the older man was having none of his son's fretting. The once weak adult was already sitting up with his posture intact and without aid, using whatever height he could manage with his torso to stare down his son.

Where had that energy come from? He could barely move a finger two seconds ago.

"Noted. You are still grounded. Do as I say and go to your room."

Marinette blinked. There was no way this man could be _serious_. At a time like this, after realizing that Adrien and Chat Noir are one and the same—his son and the _superhero_ who had single handedly tangled with half the police force and still come out on top without injury!—and he was attempting to ground him? For what? The boy had done absolutely nothing wrong! Marinette opened her mouth to voice her opinions and defend her partner, but stopped when she saw Adrien shaking his head.

"Sorry, _Pere_ , but this is one time you're going to have to listen to someone else's orders."

The older man seemed as though he were about to retort, but clamped his jaw shut after a moment. The businessman shook his head and stood, wobbling slightly once he was at his full height. Adrien was at his side in an instant, supporting his father even though the man was too prideful to accept the help outright.

 _Looks like Adrien knows how to handle him for now,_ the young girl thought before she turned back to the aerial battle. She had to figure out what was going on. Even though the man was making rapid progress, something was keeping Monsieur Agreste from returning to full health. She needed to figure out what it was if she were going to help her friend try to fix his father's condition.

Above their heads, Tikki and Plagg were pushing Possa further away from the group. Possa kept managing to gain back whatever airspace he had lost through rapid and sometimes unpredictable actions. The purple kwami's movements continued to be erratic, jagged, and wild. Tikki and Plagg moved in tandem, in perfect harmony as they held their enemy back and wore him down.

But then he would come closer and fight with more vigor. Then Tikki and Plagg would have to push him back again and the tactic would start anew.

 _Think… there's something you're not putting together_ , Marinette realized. Possa could absorb humans for energy. Check. Possa had taken enough energy from Monsieur Agreste to render him unconscious for a few moments when he phased through his hand. Check. Monsieur Agreste was gaining his energy back at a rapid rate, but not returning to full health. Check.

And Possa kept trying to return to the ground. Jaggedly. Edgily. Without coordination. With desperation, perhaps?

"He can only gather energy in a continuous stream…"

"What are you talking about?" Monsieur Agreste asked. His voice was calm, cold, and collected. He certainly did not _sound_ as though he had been knocked out only a few moments beforehand.

Marinette ignored the man's question, instead coming up with another theory of her own. Her eyes flickered from the aerial battle to Monsieur Agreste, and then scanned the room for something. It had to be in here some—there!

"You have an idea."

"I have a hunch," Marinette corrected, refusing to let herself be distracted by the fact that the wonder she usually heard from Chat was now coming from Adrien, who was also Chat, but he was Adrien, but he was—

Now was not the time! She gave her head a mental shake before she looked to Monsieur Agreste, squaring her shoulders as she addressed him. "This is the atrium of the Agreste house, isn't it? You need to get to the bottom floor."

"You are in no position to—"

"Actually, I am," Marinette said, drawing on all the Ladybug-confidence she possessed. She was not just an aspiring designer or a schoolgirl with no real power. Nor was she simply Paris's beloved hero. She was both. A superhero that had a plan, yet had the beating heart of a normal girl who simply wanted to do what was best for her friends and their families. She was Marinette and Ladybug all at once and most definitely had the right to boss this man around. A right that she had no problems exercising right now. "Possa can't store his energy on his own, he needs to keep absorbing it from you in order to fight. That means he's still drawing his energy from you somehow, just by being nearby. The closer he gets to you, the more powerful he becomes and the weaker you will be."

"So making _Pere_ leave will help get his strength back and leave Possa without an energy source," Adrien finished.

"That's the idea," Marinette agreed, turning to her partner out of habit. What she found was Chat's look of wonder upon Adrien's face, combined with a grateful air which she had to turn away from in order to avoid blushing.

Thankfully, the other human in the room gave her an excuse to do just that.

"And if that doesn't work," Gabriel stated. Marinette supposed it was meant to be a question, but his tone was as asserting as always.

"Then you're closer to the door if Adrien needs to call an ambulance for you," she said.

Monsieur Agreste narrowed his eyes behind thick rimmed glasses. Marinette did her best to meet his gaze, almost daring him to counter her. While she was certain the older Agreste would speak up first, he was not.

His son was. And as she chanced a glance over to Adrien, she saw that the look of wonder was gone now, replaced now by narrowed eyes and a frown of worry. How many times had she seen that look on her _chaton's_ face?

Enough times for that familiar look to cause a twinge of annoyance and regret to affect her stomach.

"My Lady, I won't leave you alone up here."

"I…I get the feeling Monsieur Agreste won't leave you behind, and having him here only makes things harder on Tikki and Plagg," Marinette argued, still stitching the two images together in an attempt to stop the stuttering and speak clearly. Adrien shook his head.

"I won't leave you behind. What if Possa makes you his new target? What if he starts draining energy from you next? You're still injured from the fight with _Pere_ and we can't take that chance."

"We don't have time for this—"

"Exactly, so you're coming with us downstairs."

"But Tikki and Plagg could use—"

"For the love of cookies, just go!" a voice called out from above. Marinette's eyes widened. While she might have expected such an outburst from Plagg, the command came from someone she trusted to _know_ that she had to remain behind. To help in some way.

She turned to make her case. "But—"

"The longer you stay there arguing the stronger he gets! You've done enough to get us this far, now let Plagg and I finish this!" Tikki ordered, her voice a firm demand despite how fast she was moving to avoid injury. Marinette wanted to argue. She wanted to protest. She wanted to do something. But her friend knew her well.

"Marinette, please just trust me on this! Sometimes a hero has to just walk away and trust someone else to make things better instead of worse!"

Tikki's blue eyes implored the young girl to obey. She flitted away as swiftly as the visual contact was made. Possa had nearly landed a hit.

Marinette glared at the battle overhead, wishing and hoping she could do something. Anything, really, to help. Instead, she turned to Adrien and helped him to support his father.

"My Lady?"

"Tikki's right. _You're_ right. We all need to leave right now," Marinette said, taking charge of the situation as best she could. Adrien…Chat…her _partner_ nodded and hooked his father's arm over his shoulder.

"This way, My Lady."

Marinette nodded as she followed his lead. They left through the door she had spotted earlier and made their way down the stairs. By the second floor, Monsieur Agreste was able to stand without support, but was rather leading the two down to the bottom floor instead of being led himself.

While the increase in energy was a significant indicator that her plan to weaken Possa was working, the fact that Tikki and Plagg had not emerged from the atrium had her worried.

"Adrien, call this number. Instruct him to come to the mansion and no questions asked," Monsieur Agreste said. The boy took the number and, with a flash of recognition that Marinette could not understand, raced off to find the phone. He, after all, did not have his cell phone on him.

A moment passed.

Two moments.

Three.

"You know, this house seems a little too quiet to have tiny gods duking it out upstairs," Marinette observed. Monsieur Agreste said nothing.

Another moment slipped away.

Marinette felt exasperated. She wanted answers. She wanted to do something. She did not want to sit here, helpless, as one of her best friends continued the fight without her.

"If you have something on your mind, speak it aloud," Monsieur Agreste stated. Had she sighed too loudly? Tapped her foot impatiently? She shrugged. Too late now.

"Why did you contact us to protect Adrien if you were only going to use him as bait later? Were you hoping for us to get emotionally attached? And what the hell have you been doing these past couple of years?"

Her questions were rapid fire and left no room for answer after each one, but Marinette expected an answer nonetheless.

"Adrien's 'abduction' was never a part of the original plan. My intention was to keep him as far away from the battles as possible when it was brought to my attention that he had been hurt. And I have been working."

Marinette blinked. She was expecting to fight harder for those answers. Nevertheless, she was on a roll and she was going to run as far as she could with this.

"That's not what I meant. Adrien thought—thinks, actually—the world of you. You're his dad and every time he wants to talk to you you're nowhere to be found," Marinette said. "Instead of asking him why he was near the attacks, you went through his internet history. You never showed for parent day at school. Adrien constantly defends your parenting at school even when he doesn't agree with it. I'm just an outsider, but I care about Adrien so I'm asking you where the hell you've been."

The glare Monsieur Agreste gave her told her she had taken her questioning too far.

"I have been working."

Like that, the subject was dropped. That said nothing of the tension which remained in the room.

* * *

"Is that everything?" the elderly man asked, not unkindly. Marinette winced as he gave her a once over. He had already caught her lying about the ribs—which were thankfully not broken, only bruised—and the disappointment he showed had injured her more than Hawkmoth had.

"Yes," she said. "I promise."

The man looked pleased with her answer and turned to the bag behind him. "You are quite lucky, young mademoiselle. A trip down the stairs would have landed anyone with a concussion. Especially marble stairs."

Marinette chuckled nervously at the lie they had told him. In her gut, she had a feeling he knew that they were being dishonest with him, but rather than disappointment, she felt something else from him. Amusement? Why?

"Fu _sifu_?" Adrien asked from his position in the room. The elderly Chinese man turned toward him, giving him a patient smile as he nodded for the young man to continue. "I know you don't usually make house calls and we appreciate it, but could you look at _pere_ before you go? He took a fall earlier and—"

"Adrien. I am fine," the older man interjected. He turned to the doctor. "My son worries."

"Nevertheless, it would be a good idea to get your energies read. You stopped coming three years ago and you're long past a checkup," Fu _sifu_ stated, a twinkling in his eye. Marinette was unsure if she found it curious or creepy.

Instead, she chose to be in awe of the older man as Monsieur Agreste submitted and took a seat. Adrien scooted around the room and found a place next to Marinette as the checkup began.

"How's your head?" he whispered quietly as Fu _sifu_ murmured something over his father.

"I-it should be fine," she replied. "You know what he said. Couple of Advil and I'll be good as new."

"That's good…" he breathed, a gentle smile on his face. Marinette inhaled sharply, a black mask flitting over his face in her mind's eye to help her cope.

How had she really never seen it before?

"So…" she drawled out. She bumped her hands together in a silent self-five in order to expel some of the nervous energy she felt. "Chat Noir, huh?"

He responded with a nervous chuckle, one hand reaching to rub the back of his neck. "That would be me."

"And Adrien?"

"Also me."

She studied his face. The iridescent eyes that she had fantasized over for a long time, blended with the dependable bright green of her partner. A shy smile on a model face, but her best friend's smirk rippling just beneath the surface. He sat like Adrien, but his presence began to scream Chat Noir.

And it stopped clashing in her mind.

He was Chat Noir _and_ Adrien. He was her partner, her best friend, and her classmate. She could deal with her romantic feelings on him later, but as of that moment, she knew that she was close to him and happy that her Chat had ended up being someone so kind, honest, and dependable.

She smiled.

"And you? You're Ladybug," Adrien whispered, as if bestowing a great secret upon her. Her smile began to falter, remembering her insecurities. However, even as leg began to quake, she did not break her gaze from him. He was Chat and Adrien. Maybe his love for Ladybug would allow him to tolerate Marinette?

"True…"

"And Marinette?"

The girl gulped. "Yes…"

She sat and waited for him to pass some sort of judgment on her. Good or bad. Hopefully good. Please let it be good. Please do not let him be upset. Please let him like her at least a little bit. She could not lose her partner and friend at once.

His eyes crinkled.

His smirk twitched.

Her stomach dropped.

"No…" she said, warding it off. His grin merely widened.

"But My Lady…"

"No."

"Bugaboo…"

"Oh, please, no…"

"Looks like the cat's out of the bag."

Marinette released a loud groan and rested her head in her hands. Adrien… he was… Marinette looked between her fingers, eyes wide and a smile twitching on her own lips.

Adrien was laughing at his own joke. How long had it been since he laughed? He _looked_ happy. Genuinely happy.

That alone kept her hope alive.

"And that should be it for now," Fu _sifu_ said. The two teenagers turned to the adults, the elder of the two wearing a patient smile and the other standing as tall and as proud as he had ever been. And yet…

"If you have any other ailments, please do not hesitate to call," Fu s _ifu_ continued. He gathered his bag together, placing medical tapes and a small hexagonal brown box within. His green bracelet glinted in the light when he stood with the assistance of his cane, his head reaching no higher than Marinette's chin. "And please do not forget that healing takes time. You must make and continue healthy habits if you wish to heal."

The statement seemed cryptic to Marinette, but she nodded alongside the Agrestes. The elder smiled at their assent and took his leave.

"That was…" Marinette said, struggling for a word.

"Atypical?"

"I'd go for weird, personally. Or cheese. Cheese works, too."

Realization hit Marinette like a freight train. She spun on her heel, coming face to face with two tired but smiling kwami. Well, her friend was smiling. Plagg was doing…something else. The girl reached out her hands and embraced her friend. "Tikki! You're okay!"

The kwami nuzzled against her charge's face, reciprocating the hug as she always had. Laughter bubbled out of the girl, so happy to see her friend safe.

"What happened to Possa?" she asked, curious to know. She looked to see Adrien already looking in her direction and—interestingly—Monsieur Agreste openly showing interest in the conversation. Plagg was already resting on his charge's shoulder, seemingly all too willing to leave Tikki to do all the explanations. Not that she seemed to mind. She smiled.

"Possa has been locked away."

"How?"

"Is there a chance he could return?"

"Will you and Plagg have to leave now?"

Tikki held up her little hands, politely yet firmly demanding silence. "Possa has been returned to the broach and sent away. He will face his punishment. Plagg and I may remain so long as we remain uncorrupted and wanted."

The questions had been answered, but they felt like no answers at all. How had Possa be returned to the broach? Sent away where? What punishment? And, most importantly…

"What is to be done now?" Monsiuer Agreste asked. The teenagers looked at him for a moment—he who had been their enemy for so long and was now sort of…neutral—before turning back to Tikki. The same question shone from their eyes. What now?

"Now," Tikki said, her voice overflowing with a wisdom that Marinette knew she would not be able to understand in its entirety. "You heal. You live. You move on and grow."

Marinette frowned. Could nothing be simple and straightforward? Tikki giggled in her palm and the girl felt her irritation ease away. She looked over at Adrien, her Chat, and her irritation slid even further away.

She had her kwami. She had her partner. She had her friends. They would make it.

They would.

Marinette smiled.

 _ **AmyNChan: I WILL DO MY BEST TO GET THE EPILOGUE TO YOU GUYS SOOOOOOOOOO…**_

 _ **Tikki: That's nice, dear. *puts a blanket over Amy***_

 _ **AmyNChan: …ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…**_

 _ **Tikki: *pats head***_

 _ **AmyNChan: oooon… zzzzzz**_

 _ **Tikki: *smiles* Please read and review.**_


	10. Epilogue: Marinette's Journal

_**AmyNChan: The epilogue, written by Madmoiselle Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I don't own ML!**_

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I can't believe it's been three months already! Time went by almost too quickly!_

 _But I'm kind of glad about that. Adrien is doing so well and he tells me that his peré is, too. He told me that after he lost the semi-finals in the fencing tournament last week, he had dinner with him. And M. Agreste didn't say anything about the loss! He said he was proud of the effort!_

 _I know, I couldn't believe it either. But when Adrien was smiling so widely, I couldn't say anything about it. I just had to let it go and be proud for him._

 _Actually, I've been seeing a lot more of M. Agreste lately. That match was the first time he actually came himself, but he actually had Nathalie recording the matches for the past few times. I think he's been watching them after he thinks Adrien's asleep? I only know because Adrien said he saw a light on in his peré's room on his way to my house._

 _Yeah. He comes over to my house at night. You'd think that Monsieur Agreste knows he's Chat Noir he would tighten up on security a little bit, but noooo. Chaton just has to come visit me._

 _Well, I guess I'm not complaining. Between you and me, it's helped us figure a lot of things out._

 _Things like he was asking for advice about him and Ladybug instead of him and Nino on that day we went for hot chocolate._

 _Things like he avoided Nino because Alya was with him and Adrien was afraid she'd connect the spots._

 _(Ugh, now I'm making subconscious puns in my own journal! Chat! Adrien! You and your punning ways!)_

 _Things like he was afraid of his father recognizing him and that he was Adrien at the same time, so he obviously couldn't go with me to the Agreste house to talk to Adrien._

 _Things like holy crap, we are so oblivious, how did we both miss the fact that our partner was literally three feet away?_

 _Yeah. I'm sure you can remember me pretty much stabbing you with excitement and meltdown over that. I had to get new paper. Sorry about that. But the good thing is that now we're somewhat normal? I don't stutter around Adrien as much as I used to and even though I've always listened to Chat, it's gotten easier to let him lead from time to time. I'm a control freak, okay, I don't like being led around! But now it's easier to follow his lead._

 _As for Adrien, he's still polite and kind at school, but now I hear him drop a pun every now and again, and he keeps looking over at me. The first few times it happened, I just got confused and it made him upset? And then, about two weeks ago, I was so tired I just sort of groaned and rolled my eyes. It's nothing special, just what we always do, but he lit up like I gave him the world or something._

 _I think he was missing the banter we have as Ladybug and Chat Noir at school. Now whenever he gets in a punning mood, we just kind of start the banter up. He's happy with it. I'm pretty happy with it. We talk and banter and joke and it's great because we're proper friends now and I think I mentioned I'm pretty happy with this._

 _Alya's still asking me when we're gonna 'get together'. I honestly don't know. Adrien and I just figured out what our version of normal is over the past two weeks with the puns and the bantering and he's started with the nicknames. I don't mind them, but it feels like we're just exploring our friendship first before we start on anything else._

 _Would I love it if he asked me out? You bet your spotless white paper I would! But for now, he's two things to me. He's my partner. My dependable partner who has been and will always have my back. And he's my best friend. My best friend who just found a bit of normalcy in his life. My best friend who's so happy right now I think it's going to infect the entire world!_

 _He's my partner. He's my friend. And for right now, I think that's enough._

 _Maybe later we'll be something more, but for right now, I think we're both happy with how things are going._

 _Gotta go. Adrien and I are going out for patrol. Hawkmoth may be gone, but there's still little crime to take care of. Plus, I like running around the city._

 _Bye bye!_

 _ **AmyNChan: Thanks to all for coming with me on this story where I was literally just running around with my head cut off! XDD I'm glad ya'll enjoyed it! *^_^***_


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